Lord of the Forsaken
by LightofPurgeandShadowofEmbrace
Summary: Abandoned by Heavens, lost in his fury and sorrow, the Dragon was supposed to be no more than a failed project and a necessary evil. And yet, someone decided that too much was lost in doing nothing. Looking for redemption, looking for forgiveness, and looking for justice, their encounter would forever change the World around them.
1. Prologue: A Lifetime of Regrets

**Lord of the Forsaken**

 **-Prologue: A Lifetime of Regrets-**

When Light and Darkness were torn apart in the times of Creation, friction between these forces gave birth to conflict. Sometimes they sought to be together, but these were rare occasions usually accompanied by chaos.

When Angels were created, many of their kin believed that their Father had done so as the culmination of his efforts, expecting their purpose to revolve around managing the world He had created.

When Humanity came to be, conflict arose as their purpose was put into question. The end result was the origin of Devils and Fallen, with the Morning Star becoming the first among them.

Light and Darkness built their forces, and Humans became the key pieces in a confrontation which sought to decide their future as well as that of Creation itself.

Ironically, the gift of choice that the Almighty had given to Humanity and that made the superior in his eyes became the very reason why many could be tempted into falling in darkness and depravity, bringing the great conflict beyond the boundaries of the Supernatural and into the very world of men.

And so, Humans were chosen or chose themselves to join the forces of Light and Darkness to fight the bitter conflict for supremacy, for good and evil, or even just for surviving for another tomorrow.

In the end, nobody won.

Most of the Original Satans perished in the last battles, with the Morning Star sealed away into exile.

The Fallen experienced the worst loses in numbers, even if their leadership remained alive.

And Father… the all loving father that went personally to the Underworld to fight alongside his sons and daughters for the sake of Humanity, was dead.

Even if none of their believers were aware of this.

After that, a truce had been declared between the Forces of Light and Darkness in order to avoid more senseless deaths, and no direct confrontation was to take place among their armies.

Of course, for the Devils and Fallen there were other ways to keep the balance in their favor, as they had the means to interfere with humanity and no qualms to play with its freedom of choice.

As for the Angels in heaven, they had to keep the illusion for the sake of Humanity and perhaps for their own sake as well.

With a heavy but resolute heart, Michael, the only Archangel and the most devoted of the Seraph, took the Throne of Heavens. The Angel whose name was supposed to not put into question the supremacy of their Father had now been forced to take His mantle in order to keep the System working, and the faith of humans alive.

Under his rule, Heaven decided to not directly interfere so as to avoid an escalation in retribution and therefore risk the re-ignition of the Great War.

Raphael and Uriel kept their former roles, but their work was never-ending as many had taken the loss of God very hard. After the terrible bloodshed, the last thing they needed was to strengthen the ranks of the Fallen.

As for Gabriel, the last of the Four Great Seraphs and Messenger of God, she was to keep watch of the World of Men, acting as a mediator between Humanity and Heaven when necessary. However, since these occasions were very rare she spent most of her time outside talking to her brothers and sisters acting as a high-ranking diplomat for Angels and the Church in their interactions with other pantheons outside of the ones known as the Biblical Factions.

One of her big accomplishments had been setting up a meeting at request of her brother Michael with one of the lesser gods of the Greek Pantheon, Pan.

Whatever they had talked about must have been a big concern for the god, since he had agreed to "play his part" when the time came.

For some years, Gabriel had been unaware of what the two had agreed on, but nevertheless her faith in her older brother remained steadfast. It was the least she could do after he took such a heavy burden upon himself.

But it came the time when darkness arose anew.

During the last stages of the Great War, Humanity's involvement in the fight against Devils and Fallen had grown considerably, the biggest example being the foundation of the Brotherhood of Light. Humans who harnessed the power of light and shadow trough iron will and arcane artifacts, and who became the core of the human contribution in tipping the balance to their favor.

Their role was important to the point that their founders achieved something that had only been accomplished by another human thousands of years ago, the current seraph Metatron. In hopes of being able to help in the last stages of the war, and to keep a very dangerous fourth party sealed away, they had found a way to ascend to the state of Seraphs by getting rid of the darkness in their hearts and ascending to the Heavens.

Many had been skeptical at first, some even questioning the fact that humans had somehow become Angels without the intervention of their late Father. But their new family proved their worth in battle, their efforts key in forcing their enemies into finally accepting the truce.

After the Great War, the new Seraphs had earned the respect of their fellow Angels and the Brotherhood of Light had become the main organization responsible for defending humanity from Devils, Fallen and monsters. Allied with the Church but acting as an autonomous group, it became an inspiration to other military organizations sponsored by the church itself, even if there were rivalries.

The actions of the Founders were not without consequences, however.

The darkness they had discarded to become heavenly beings did not disappear in oblivion. Instead, it took forms of its own, creating mockeries of the once exalted holy warriors that had stood in the Light.

The Lords of Shadow had been born.

The first clue that Gabriel got was an increase of the sightings of monsters and creatures belonging to other pantheons, and with those the increase in causalities in humans lives.

The gravity of the situation was only made clear when the mystical city of Agartha was besieged.

The people of Agharta were not followers of the Church, but they had given their own contribution in the fight against Evil.

Gabriel had personally given her brothers the news that the Aghartians requested help from the Holy Orders, only to be denied due to their use of unknown magic and their religious convictions. But Michael and the other Seraphs had insisted in the need to keep their forces, including the Church, focused on the conflicts taking place in Jerusalem, the holy city were the son of God had been born and which had become hotspot that had garnered the attention of both Devils and Fallen. Antagonizing the Church by creating a contradiction to the Christian beliefs also risked weakening the needed human support in light of their current state.

Alas, Gabriel and other Angels were forbidden to put forces (or themselves) into other conflicts until their enemies took the initiative.

Alas, the later called Necromantic Wars razed the city of Agartha and killed most of its people. Whatever survivors had been left, nobody ever saw them again.

And Gabriel had been filled with regret then.

But it was only the beginning of a long series of regrets that would shake her to the core.

* * *

After the Fall of Agartha, Angels and the Brotherhood had worked together to find out who was behind the rise in the forces of Darkness. What they found was chilling.

Three powerful self-proclaimed Lords of Shadow had built armies of creatures to their image and proceeded to expand their domains across the lands of Europe.

Dark Lords bearing the names of their newest brothers and sister.

And so they all realized that the price for attempting to ascend to Heavens by removing the freedom of choice was greater than they had expected, regardless of noble intentions and contributions to the Great War.

This new threat had taken them unprepared, with their forces even more weakened after the last skirmishes with Devils and Fallen, and the extremely volatile relations with said factions. Michael's fears about a possible return to war had never been so real, and Gabriel could feel her frustration and that of many of her brothers and sisters at their inability to properly intervene to stop the new dangers.

They had no other choice but to rely on the only holy order with enough manpower at disposal to contain the rising armies of darkness, The Brotherhood of Light.

The valiant efforts of the Brotherhood had made possible to contain the advances of the Lords of Shadow and protect the main centers of power for Heaven in the Human World, but going further than purging some villages was impossible.

Almost a hundred years had passed, and things only got more complicated, Gabriel looking at how Humanity struggled alone and besieged while their own forces could only go so far without risking a declaration of war from their counterparts.

Gabriel had sought a way to facilitate a more direct intervention to defeat the Lords of Shadow, but so far her efforts had been futile, with no outside pantheon willing to involve themselves as their influence in the human affairs had dwindled and they chose to retreat to their own realms.

Some simply didn't care.

Just as Gabriel was beginning to lose hope, her brother Raziel had come with a revelation.

A prophecy that held the key to not only stop the Lords of Shadow's grasp on the Human world, but also to tip the balance of the forces of Light against the Darkness.

A human baby who had been recently found at the doorstep of one of the Brotherhood's compounds.

A baby who carried her own name.

Gabriel Belmont.

* * *

The Messenger of God had spared a good amount of her time to watch as the human baby grew into a teen, and then into a man, trained in the compound of the Brotherhood as holy warrior devoted to their Father and to the defense of Humanity against the forces of Darkness.

What she saw had concerned her.

On one hand, Gabriel (it was funny referring to him by her own name) was a prodigy in learning how to fight, with a fire and a conviction found only in the bravest and most devoted of warriors. His domain of the magical arts was so good that even the risky Shadow Magic (a topic of continuous debate among the angels) had been a challenge he had overcome with great success.

At the same time, Gabriel was a moody character, efficient yet brutal when it came to fighting against monsters and Lesser Demons. His reputation was a mix of respect and awe, since his animosity was focused on non-human targets.

But somebody like that was bound to become trapped in violence, eventually forgetting how to enjoy the little things in life, and becoming unable to seek peace for himself and others.

Fortunately, help came in the way of Love.

Now, Gabriel was aware that she was naïve in some of her understanding of politics, of how to deal with emotions of humans that were not open like a book, and many other things that her older brothers had become more attuned with. But she prided herself in being a defender of love.

The gift that humans had been allowed to enjoy to its fullest by the grace of her Father. One of the sincerest and purest emotions, and the companion of values like forgiveness, kindness and understanding.

The key to salvation of those who sought help, the drive behind her Father's decision to stand in defense of Humanity and fight himself against the Morning Star, the Heavenly Dragons and other unknown dangers during the Great War.

Love was a powerful emotion, capable of giving strength to even the weakest of humans, and breaking through the most stubborn of them.

And it seemed that love had arrived at the doorstep of Gabriel Belmont's heart, refusing to go away.

Little Mary had been a lucky meeting for the warrior in training as children, and the only person known to be able to bring him out of his dark moods. As a grown woman, her perseverance and honest care for the Belmont had been rewarded in the way of vows for marriage.

A lucky encounter turned into a happy friendship, which had eventually blossomed into love and now culminated in this marriage that would hopefully give Gabriel a reason to fight for aside from his faith, and a reason to choose life instead of throwing it away carelessly in the temptations of violence and rage.

They were even rewarded with a child, a fruit of their union and the proof of their pure love for one another.

But Gabriel didn't know about this, as he had been sent to deal with an infestation of dark creatures of unknown origin, alongside some of his older companions in the Order and some new recruits. The mission had ended with him as the sole survivor of the expedition, after banishing an unknown creature from the Shadow Planes (not the same place as the Underworld, where Devils and Fallen made their new home).

The Seraph left Gabriel recovering and later focused her attention to his wife.

The very day she had given her recently born son to the elders from the Brotherhood, Cardinal Volpe among them.

While a weeping Mary Belmont was left alone, with a wounded husband recovering from his last adventure, Gabriel the Seraph couldn't help but grimace at the last words uttered by the Cardinal as he convinced the mother to give up her child.

That Gabriel Belmont, the man who was to become God's Chosen had a terrible destiny awaiting him and that only blood could counter such fate.

Even as one of the Fourth Great Seraphs, Gabriel had no authority to overrule her brother's decision to keep most of the prophecy for himself and the highest-ranking elder from the Brotherhood of Light. Again, she had trusted in Michael's decision and acted along the lines he had established, looking for God's Chosen as a Guardian in name only and telling him of anything before acting own her own accord.

That didn't ease the foreboding feeling gripping her heart as she left the Belmont and returned to her other duties.

* * *

Fear was not an alien emotion to Angels, even if they were encouraged to not fall completely into it.

Fear and uncertainty were currently spreading among the Heavens.

Someone had cut off their connection with the Human World.

Someone had cut off the connection of Heavens with Humanity to the point that the soul of the deceased no longer ascended to fin eternal rest but instead lingered in the world of the living, many unfortunate ones trapped in the boundaries between life and death with neither rest nor penitence for them. Only Darkness.

They could still commute with the souls of the dead, and they could still observe what was happening in the Human World as far as their magic allowed them.

But they could not descend in there, neither use their magic to transport their forces.

Gabriel had been successful in establishing contact with Pan, their only ally in the Human World, but, after having him speak with her eldest brother, the Greek God had bided his goodbyes and wished them all the best of luck, announcing that his role had finally come into play.

Aside from him, they had no one to turn to in hopes of getting answers.

Raphael suspected that Devils were behind this powerful magic and perhaps allied themselves with the Lords of Shadow, who had benefited considerably from the situation. The Lords of Shadow appeared to be the culprits according to the former Founders of the Brotherhood, but the knowledge to perform it seemed to escape them. Which lead to the suggestion that that a third party had helped them.

That was perhaps one of the worst case scenarios, and it drove the Heavens into State of War, their forces readying themselves to be deployed at the first call, the only possible location as of now being the Underworld.

From what they had gathered, the magic separating the realms was so powerful that it would take weeks before they could finally break through and send reinforcements to the Brotherhood.

Humanity was alone until then.

However, Michael had called for all to calm down and then explained that humanity had a way to stand on their own for the time being.

Revealing Raziel's Propechy, The Archangel explained that God's Chosen would be capable of using their late Father's blessing in order to vanquish the Lords of Shadow and break the spell separating the worlds, allowing them to repel any Devil or Fallen, or whoever had decided to stablish on the Human World taking advantage of the situation.

They would then proceed with the hardest part, diplomacy. And that was when Gabriel would be needed.

When everyone had gone their own way to prepare for the unexpected, Gabriel the Seraph had chosen to go and observe once more Gabriel Belmont, to see how her father's champion had taken the new developments.

What she saw made her own heart wish to go out to him.

* * *

He had lost his wife to the denizens of the Lords of Shadow.

With barely time to give her a proper burial, and yet no time to mourn his lost love, he had been sent on a mission to look for Pan in hopes of getting answers to the state of the World.

Gabriel the Seraph witnessed it all.

How he saved a village from a Warg and a group of Lycans.

His meeting with the God Pan and how his nights of sleep were plagued with horrible nightmares.

His fight with the Ice Titan and meeting both his fellow warrior Zobek, named in honor to the ascended Seraph and Founder of the Brotherhood… and his wife.

His meeting and short-lived alliance with the last survivor of the Aghartians, a woman by the name of Claudia, who helped him advance through the lands of the Lycan. His assassination of Claudia under the spell of the Devil Mask, thanks to the machinations of Zobek, actually one of the Lords of Shadow in disguise.

How he made a simple tombstone for the girl and once more moved forward, no time to grieve on a sin not of his own.

His fight with the Lord of Lycans and counterpart of the Seraph Cornell, which ended in the defeat of the first Lord of Shadow and the death of his heavenly counterpart, as well as the revelation of the origins of the Lords of Shadow.

The fight against the Crow Witch Malphas, a tragic sorcerer whose love was destroyed by another witch and who had fallen into madness, becoming a monster that preyed on anyone wishing to cross in and out of the Lands of the Vampires.

Working again with the Lord of Shadow in disguise in order to reach Wygol Village, the closest settlement to Bernhard Castle, home of the Lord of Vampires, Carmilla.

How he had to survive the cruel games of Carmilla's daughter, Laura, and how his love with Marie was able to bring out mercy from the vampire's cold heart.

His confrontation and eventual victory over Carmilla, followed by another meeting with Pan that would lead him into the Lands of the Necromancers, ruled by Zobek himself.

Gabriel the Seraph witnessed all of these events that transpired during Gabriel Belmont's journey to defeat the Lords of Shadow and use the power of God in order to free the lost souls.

With each new battle, Father's champion grew in strength and skill, getting closer to his final task.

With each new battle, Father's champion grew wearier, more and more disillusioned with his Order and with the mistakes that had culminated in the death of his beloved Marie.

The righteousness and conviction were losing weight as his journey progressed, the only hope that still burned in his heart being the fake illusion that Zobek had told him regarding the resurrection of his late wife.

Gabriel feared that the mission would leave him completely broken in the end, and she begged her brother that if God's chosen succeeded in his mission, she would be allowed to go to the Human World to offer comfort, the hope that Heavens felt for humanity's champion and that his sacrifices and loses were not ignored.

Michael denied her request, explaining that even with the Lords of Shadow defeated there was one more task to fulfill by God's Chosen and that his role would be finally completed after.

And that's when she learned of the price to pay for the death of all the Lords of Shadow as well as her new brothers and sister.

Gabriel Belmont would need to stand against a demon so powerful that he actually surpassed the Morning Star at his prime.

And in case he failed…only then would their forces mobilize to fight against the terrible monster.

For the Messenger of God, this all seemed too much for a sole human.

In the first place, why send him alone on this quest against the forces of Darkness?

Why was her brother so cryptic regarding the contents of Raziel's Prophecy?

Why not allow Father's champion a well-deserved rest while they dealt with the terrible danger that would arise after bringing down the reign of the Lords of Shadow and restoring the connection between Heaven and Earth?

Gabriel wanted to trust in her brother's judgement, in his wisdom to know and to do what was right and what was needed to help protecting Father's children.

She could not help the doubt gnawing at her heart, and the guilt that grew more and more as she saw the weary holy warrior fight and kill the God Pan as part of a test to prove his domain over his powers and to open the path to the Land of the Necromancers.

And so he went to fulfill his mission.

And so she kept doing nothing but observing him.

* * *

It was as they suspected, and it opened a new can of worms when they confirmed it with their own eyes.

The Morning Star himself had been the one behind the separation of the worlds, having used the Lord of Necromancers as his puppet in order to challenge Heaven's themselves and become the ruler of all creation.

If he was allowed to walk the Earth again and to gather his forces, the Great War would begin anew and with a death toll so high that all the three factions and humanity would no doubt cease to be, the later reduced to nothing but slaves for all Eternity.

And it fell on the shoulders of Father's champion to stand against her brother's madness.

For all that witnessed the final fight between man and the First Devil, it was a sight very hard to believe.

A mortal, a human warrior that had been slayed and then resurrected with the intervention of the souls trapped between life and death, had stood his ground and actually delivered a beating to the Morning Star, even if the later was not in possession of his full power.

When Gabriel Belmont had performed a ritual similar to the Founders of the Brotherhood, all feared the worst. But no new angel had been born, and their fallen brother was sent back into exile into the unknown.

The Lost Souls were freed, allowed to ascend to Heaven.

The Lords of Shadow were no more, and even if the loss of their brothers and sister was hard they all knew that it had not been in vain.

And God's Chosen was left a sobbing mess, having said goodbye to his wife and to Claudia and knowing that the power he sought in hopes of getting his beloved back would never do so.

Most of her brothers and sisters had left afterwards, but the Four Great Seraphs kept watching.

And once more Gabriel the Seraph watched.

How Gabriel Belmont was contacted by Laura and not allowed grief or rest before departing to the last stage of his long journey.

How he had refused a first the task of stopping the Forgotten One, the powerful demon who ruled over the Shadow Plane and whose power rivaled the Morning Star in his prime. Laura had appealed to his sense of duty and goodwill to convince him and offered her help along the way.

How he the both of them had traveled to the underground of Bernhard's Castle and activated the gateway to the Dimensional Prison were the Forgotten One was currently looking for a way out.

How the vampire child had confirmed her brother's explanation about the impossibility of any mortal or holy being to enter into the Dimensional Prison and then into the Shadow Planes, leaving this to dark beings like the Devils and the Demons inhabiting said realm.

How Gabriel had to sacrifice his humanity and take the life of Laura in order to become a Devil himself and go into a one-way trip with no way back.

That was the last she had seen of the man who born the same name as her, of the one chosen as Father's champion on Earth and whose only reward for all his loss had been death and the gratitude of Heavens.

She felt that was simply not enough.

Her tears fell freely for all that he had to endure, only to be sent to a challenge he had very little chance to accomplish or survive.

And yet, her brother Michael gave no command for their armies to be ready in case that the Forgotten One entered the Human World.

Was his faith in Gabriel so strong that he believed he could emerge victorious?

Gabriel the Seraph wanted to trust her older brother and his judgement… but it all seemed forced, almost as if pushed into fulfilling a particular result that she did not like at all.

Years passed, and when there was no sign of a rampaging Demon God building his forces or going himself to conquer and burn the lands, many believed that God's chosen had been victorious at the cost of his life.

And yet, the Brotherhood of Light seemed to work in a frenzy, almost as if driven by fear.

Her older brothers never relaxed, and the grimace in Michael's face gave her the impression that things were far from over.

And a couple of years later it seemed that the tale of the Lords of Shadow repeated, with a growth in the activity of monsters in a focal point.

It seemed someone had taken residence in Bernhard's Castle and built a domain in the surroundings.

A new danger that called himself "Dracul".

* * *

Gabriel didn't know what to believe in anymore.

Too many revelations, too many contradictions.

Too much tragedy.

Had her Father given his life at the end of the Great War just for all to fall into Darkness and hopelessness?

Fifty years since the disappearance of God's Chosen, and Europe had become a constant battlefield.

Dracul had become the one and only Lord of Shadow, even proclaiming himself as the new Prince of Darkness following the defeat of Lucifer.

The Brotherhood of Light had been hit hard, especially after their failed mission to vanquish the mighty vampire by sending Trevor Belmont, Gabriel's son. Their hero gone, probably killed in battle, and their compounds and villages close to them razed with a fury not seen since the times of the Necromantic Wars.

A little more than a decade since the death of Trevor Belmont, it seemed that his own son had emerged victorious over Dracul, the demonic castle collapsing and its denizens gone or scattered.

Many in Heavens had believed that Justice had been served, especially since they knew of the true identity of Dracul.

Gabriel Belmont, once a holy warrior who had given all in his quest to reunite Heaven and Earth and defeat the Lords of Shadow and the Morning Star, only to disappear into lands unknown to face a Demon God alone. Now, betrayer of Light and sworn enemy of mankind, killed as a tyrant by his own blood who he had struck against before.

The Brotherhood considered one of its greatest paragons an honorless betrayer of God and of his former kin, a proof of the fragility of humans and how the lack of faith would lead to such kind of depravity when possessing enough power.

Heavens condemned him as well, comparing him to the Morning Star and expecting any day that he would join forces with Devils or Fallen and declare war against the Angels as he had done with mankind.

Even Michael and the other Great Seraphs saw his fall as a regretful but expected outcome.

And yet… Dracul returned.

Years after his defeat at the hand of the Belmont Clan, his castle stood proud once more, his armies regrouped at his beck and call.

And all awaited the moment when his wrathful path would restart.

Gabriel the Seraph could wait no more.

All that happened seemed to go in circles, as if every effort since the end of the Great War was meaningless in anything but leading to this particular outcome.

Her eldest brother refused to send their forces to deal with Dracul, with the other Great Seraph in agreement, leaving humans and the Brotherhood on their own.

At most, they were to fight against their old enemies to avoid giving them any kind of advantage, but the feared alliance between the Prince of Darkness and the other biblical factions never took place.

If anything, Dracul seemed very hostile to them as well, especially after his supposed encounter with the Warmonger and his forces, forcing them into a humiliating retreat.

The Prince of Darkness had isolated himself from anything but the monsters at his command, and yet her brothers remained in their refusal to explain themselves and put all of their efforts in dealing with the fallen champion of God.

She needed answers.

To know why had Gabriel gone into Darkness, why did he kill his son and declared war on humanity itself.

As she stood in front of the gates of Bernhard's Castle, now belonging to Dracul, she reaffirmed her decision to go on her own, for the first time in her life going against Michael's orders, unable to deal with more uncertainty and all the accumulated regrets in almost a century since the end of the Great War.

Even if she had to fight her way to find the truth.

The gates opened for her on their own, as if welcoming her.

She went in.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello there fellow readers and writers, and welcome to another project of mine. This time, a crossover between Castlevania Lords of Shadow and Highschool DxD. I'll be posting the next chapter very soon but feel free to comment about this prologue and offer your own expectations.**


	2. Chapter 1: Abandoned by God?

_**Lord of the Forsaken.**_

 **Hello my dear readers, and welcome to a new chapter of _Lord of the Forsaken. I have fixed some details from the previous chapter regarding the first mission Gabriel Belmont took, as well as some other errors in writing, nothing big. I appreciate the reviews and hope that you can enjoy this, offering my apologies in advance if the fighting sequence seems dull for you. Now onward to the story._**

 _ **\- Chapter I: Abandoned by God?-**_

Dracul's Castle was a mighty stronghold, redesigned to make it difficult for any invader to navigate inside, and to hold against any kind of siege. Some even said that the architecture changed from time to time, making impossible to draw an accurate map of it.

Filled with different kinds of monsters that served under the Prince of Darkness, it was a position that only the most resolute or desperate would attempt to conquer.

And that was not even counting its ruler, the strongest of all Vampire Lords and former champion of the Light.

An open invitation that promised death and great suffering to all that wanted to try their chances against the Prince of Darkness.

In spite of all this, the woman currently making her way to the Throne Room had found all the doors opened, the Servants making way for her and merely throwing a sneer or a growl at her presence in their home.

This was all intentional, as they had been given strict orders to allow the Angel to go unimpeded or risk a harsh punishment for defying their Prince.

Until the Angel arrived, Dracul was content with drinking from his golden goblet, his excitement and anger kept in check beneath a facade of stoicism.

For years he had lead a campaign of vengeance against God and his children, challenging The Creator to send his forces or come down himself to smite his fallen champion.

But only knights from the Brotherhood came at his door, among them his own son.

So it came as a surprise when a lone Seraph entered his domains and stood at the front of his castle. Wishing to talk.

Perhaps she was an envoy from Heavens?

Whatever message or interests she had, Dracul cared not to comply to any sort of demands.

But at the very least he was interested in knowing God's thoughts about him.

And regardless of her affiliations, he would be a poor host if he simply kept the doors closed and just threw his minions at her.

So he waited on his Throne.

* * *

Gabriel had known that Gabriel Belmont was aware of her the moment she entered into the immediate domains of his Castle, perhaps he even knew of her nature as an Angel.

She had not expected a clear path, but at the very least she was willing to play along.

One of the perks that came with being one of the most powerful Angels in Heaven.

As she was making her way through the doors and the many rooms and chambers of the castle, the Seraph took her time to look around.

Originally the castle had been no more than a big castle, owned by the Bernhard Family in the times when Father had been still alive. It had been their home and the proof of their power in the world of men, the location where all their dark deeds took place.

At one point, they had gotten the brilliant idea to summon a powerful Demon from another plane and enslave him to act as their familiar. This of course had gone poorly, and if not for the intervention of the Founders of the Brotherhood, the Great War would have become even more of a nightmare for everyone. By the time the Forgotten One had been sealed, the Bernhard were gone.

The next person to take residence in the castle had been the infamous Dr. Friedrich von Frankenstein, who performed horrible and inhuman experiments on all the poor souls that managed to find themselves in the castle, willingly and unwillingly. It had been him who added the Clock Tower, and the research facilities hidden somewhere outside of her current path.

It was the Dark Lord of the Vampires who took over next and, in a sense of twisted justice, she spent a good deal of time torturing the doctor for all of his crimes. During her rule, the castle had gone from the onerous abode of a noble family to an impressive palace that could also act as a fortress.

Now, the building had gotten even bigger, adding a whole section with a causeway that allowed access to her destination, the Throne Room, the part of the castle where Gabriel Belmont had fought and defeated Carmilla and taken the gateway to the Land of the Necromancers.

All in all, Dracul's Castle made for an impressive fortress that could house a numerous retinue of knights and servants. Yet, it was devoid of humans, and she felt no presence of Devils or even Fallen inside.

Instead, harpies, skeletons and undead, werewolves and vampires, and many other creatures, all filled the castle. There were even succubae and witches, some ugly and some very young-looking.

A castle that acted as a fortress to house such a number of monsters could easily become the rallying point to unleash death upon the inhabitants, as Dracul did some twenty-five years after his disappearance in the Dimensional Prison.

But armies of dark creatures were a lesser concern when compared to what she had gathered as she was making her way to the master of the castle.

The whole place was alive, somehow.

She could feel it staring at her, breathing through its walls of stone, whispers resonating all around her with both excitement and spite.

She could feel a great malice that permeated everything, resonating with the denizens and perhaps even with the master of the castle himself.

What had driven Gabriel make his home in this kind of living nightmare?

Was it related to the same reasons behind his fall into Darkness?

Her reflections would have an answer soon it seemed.

For she had arrived at the last set of open doors, getting the view of a very vast hall decorated with statues in Bronze and other metals and stone, all painted as if pretending to be gold.

At the edge of the long hall, stood a very ornate throne, guarded by a pair of giant dragons, each at one side. Sitting in there was her host, wearing gold and crimson and staring at her in silence with a pair of grey eyes.

As he was making his own assessment of her, Gabriel took a moment to watch how much he had changed since she last saw him.

He had abandoned his relics and old uniform of his time as a Knight of the Brotherhood of Light, now wearing no visible weapons and a gold trimmed armored red coat, covering his upper body up to his wristlets and his lower body down to his knees, and leaving only his chest exposed. He also had a skull themed belt over his black trousers.

His hair had gone from brown to black, and its length now reaching beyond his shoulders and covering a part of his back, giving him a more savage look. His beard had become more noticeable, if still short, and now he had an actual moustache.

His skin was now pale, similar to that of Laura and Carmilla and all other vampire knights that served in the castle. A trait that served as a proof of his status as an undead.

His once green eyes were lacking any of their former warm, replaced by a pair of grey pupils with a slit, staring at her.

And those eyes were perhaps the first clue of how much he had changed in so many decades. Along with his expression, they showed something different from what one could expect of a self-proclaimed Dark Lord that had waged a war against Humanity.

She had expected a look of arrogance on his face as he watched her from his throne. Or even an expression of glee and madness, the kind of someone drowned into the desire to inflict pain and retribution.

Instead, there was anger and apathy, all hidden behind a mask of curiosity and a fake smile.

He broke the silence first.

"Well this is a surprise. Almost ninety years since I began my crusade against Humanity and only a lone Seraph has been sent at my castle; I don't know if I should feel honored to finally get His attention or offended that it took this much to get a reaction".

His words were mocking, but she could feel something else in them. Whatever it was she couldn't be sure yet.

"Did he actually run out of holy knights to send to their deaths? Are there no Belmont around chosen by Fate to fight against their own blood?

Did He finally decide to take the matter on His own hands?

Or are you sent here to fight me in His name?"

There was a silent accusation in his questions, directed towards the lack of action from Heaven. Ironic, coming from the one who had killed all those knights and even attacked his own family, but nevertheless true.

In all the time Dracul had been terrorizing Europe, Michael had not sent even a single Angel to fight him. When it came to dealing with Devil or Fallen activity involving high ranked targets, he was willing to mobilize a force to address the threat, but anything related to Dracul was left in the hands of the Church and the Brotherhood. And they had barely succeeded in staling his advances, until a Belmont destroyed the Prince of Darkness.

Or so should have been the case. Dracul was back, his castle rebuilt and his army getting ready to move at his command. They were all aware of this, and Michael still refused to aid Humanity directly.

She didn't want for her brothers and sisters to spill their blood needlessly, but to leave humans to deal with Dracul on their own?

And more importantly…

Why not speak with Gabriel in the first place? why was she or anyone else forbidden to speak with Gabriel before he went on a rampage after he killed his son? Or maybe when he returned decades after his defeat?

Her brother's actions made sense no more, his evasive answers and those of the other Seraph, including Raziel, had all ended with the same argument: to trust in Michael, that he knew what was best, that Humanity would find the way to once more bring down their fallen champion.

To wait and not interfere, unless told otherwise.

Waiting and doing nothing, to avoid an escalation of the conflict with the Devils and Fallen.

Waiting and doing nothing, trusting that God's Chosen would triumph over all the challenges in his way to bring down evil.

Waiting and doing nothing, letting a man who had lost almost everything to fall into Darkness, and become a monster that would wage war on Humanity.

Waiting and doing nothing, letting the story repeat again.

That is why she had come, alone.

To finally do something.

"I came here not to fight, but to speak".

He raised an eyebrow at her reply?

"The last Angel that wanted to _speak_ with me proposed an alliance against Heaven, but in truth wanted to use me as a weapon to accomplish his goals. Just like Zobek and Satan before him… just like the Brotherhood of Light… and God before all of them. Why would you be different?"

An Angel had wanted to use him? Considering the devotion that most Angels had to her eldest brother, and his current position regarding the Prince of Darkness, that discarded anyone from Heaven. Which meant…

 _Kokabiel_

One of the leaders of Grigori, the organization created by the Fallen to manage their efforts during the Great War. And considering the rumors of the confrontation between Dracul and the Warmonger, it made sense that it had been him who the first was talking about.

So that confirmed her suspicions that Dracul had no allies in the Fallen, and he had gone against the Morning Star in his time as Gabriel Belmont. But what about now?

She needed to make sure of his standing regarding the other factions.

"You declared a crusade against Humanity decades ago, and you probably despise Heaven as well. Why wouldn't you accept his help, even knowing his intentions? Why haven't you aligned yourself with our enemies, and those of Humanity?"

"Because I will be no one's puppet anymore. I will always oppose Devils for their role in the murder of my wife, and the same applies to Zobek. I despise God and all of his Angels, but I will not allow anyone else to rule over humans. Only I have the right to destroy them."

Only him. No one else but him could fight against Humanity. That's what he was saying.

And he also made clear that he refused to keep doing the job of protector of Humanity, refusing to become a tool for the sake of a greater cause and going in line with his crusade. But at the same time, Dracul opposed all others who tried to manipulate him or any humans at his reach.

Another contradiction.

A man who had been played the fool by Devils and Dark Lords, who had been sent to fix the mistakes of the Elders of the Brotherhood, and who spoke about how God and the Brotherhood would send human warriors to their death facing him.

A man who had sacrificed a lot for God and Humanity, only to disappear and later become a sworn enemy of both.

A Dark Lord who struck against those who preyed on Humanity, but hunted down Humanity as well.

Either he had become a true mad man, a possessive tyrant… or something was amiss.

Trusting her instincts, the Seraph went on with her inquiry.

"The creatures that have gathered at this place, are you planning to use them to strike at the people of Wallachia again?"

"You should know the answer already. So long as I am walking the Earth, I will hunt down all of God's children until the moment I am finally destroyed or they are no more"- he stated as if it was the most obvious assumption, the only path to take for him.

She didn't understand. Why had he decided that Humanity was his enemy?

Gabriel Belmont was a man of strong character and convictions.

He felt anger when he discovered that the Abbot had kept the Holy Water to protect himself, letting the people of his village defenseless against Ghouls and Vampires.

He had willingly deviated from his journey to protect the people of Wygol against the servants of Carmilla.

He had expressed sorrow and regret for the death of Claudia and even Laura, the latter having almost killed him after throwing a temper tantrum and the one who turned him into a Vampire.

What had Humanity done to him that he focused his very existence into punishing it?

 _Why do all this?_

"Why?"

"Why…?"

"Why do you keep killing so many innocents? why did you turn against your old comrades in the Brotherhood...why did you kill your own son?"

She spilled all the questions on her mind at once, conveying sadness and uncertainty in her voice, even if there was a good chance she would get no truth from him.

The Messenger of God expected many things: evading the questions, changing the topic, outright and clever lying.

…

What she got was a smile that looked angrier than happy, his body trembling in anger and his eyes widening while still staring at her.

"Are you seriously asking that? Is that what He wants to know?"

He was clenching his hands into fists now.

"After all he took from me, after using me as a puppet for his war against Darkness and abandoning me, He somehow forgot about all the suffering I went through… and He has the gall to ask me to explain my actions!?"

He finished with a snarl, and Gabriel tried to intervene.

"Father did not take your wife or your son Gabriel, it-"

"DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME THAT NAME!"

He bellowed, cutting her off instantly.

He looked completely furious now, the hall trembling slightly as if responding to his temper.

His gray eyes now burned crimson, glowing with fury and power.

"I'm no longer Gabriel, Seraph! I refuse to carry a name belonging to the messenger of a god who carelessly takes as he gives. I am the Dragon, Dracul! I am the Lord of Shadows and ruler of all dark creatures on these lands, and I will use my power and my very life to spite God and all of his creation forever. If He loathes me, if He despises what I have done and become… may He come and finish what he started!"

This was bad.

Gabriel the Seraph knew that Gabriel Belmont had felt betrayed and lost by the time he had defeated Carmilla, and that his defeat of the Morning Star had left him hollow and broken when his last hope was revealed to be empty. But that didn't explain why he put the blame on her late Father and Humanity. Perhaps he had been influenced by someone else?

"…Dracul, you have enough reasons to be disillusioned and to feel rage and sorrow for all your suffering. But what did all those innocent lives, what did YOUR son do to deserve your wrath? The hero who fought and vanquished the Lords of Shadow and Lucifer himself would never step this low… did something happen in your fight with the Forgotten One?"

Her last question came from the fact that she could feel the flow of demonic energies in him, far stronger than most of the Devils she had seen recently or during the Great War.

He felt as strong as the Morning Star himself, especially when he flared his power in rage.

Whatever happened during his time in the Shadow Plane may had a hand in his face-heel turn.

She hoped that he had fallen into temptation because he was being manipulated by the foreign Demon God, perhaps convinced that his suffering.

Father's champion laughed.

"You think I'm…? No, Seraph, you can be at ease knowing that the Forgotten One is no more. I took care of him permanently. Your only concern as of this moment should be whether I consider this conversation of interest any longer".

… He had killed the Forgotten One?

Then why did he feel so dark, his aura so demonic?

Why didn't he return to the Brotherhood and sought to rebuild his life and spirit with the protection of Heavens?

…Did the Brotherhood know?

Had her brothers been aware of this?

"Isn't God almighty, omniscient? He must know what happened after I crossed the portal, what happened during my fights against the Lords of Shadow. Surely he didn't send you here ignorant and expecting me to have a change of heart".

"…"

"You will have to repeat yourself, Seraph, your voice was lower than a whisper"

"…I said I came on my own".

…

For a moment his face showed surprise, before returning to scowling.

"You are a fool then. Since God is so busy to concern himself with my actions, you decided to do the job as the dutiful daughter who seeks the praise from her father. Tell me a reason to not kill you right here, so he feels what is like to lose family."

Naïve she may be, but the Messenger of God could tell that he meant his threat.

"Dracul, God did not take your family from you. Zobek manipulated you with the Devil Mask to kill your wife, and it was YOU who killed your own son."

"God knew about the prophecy! God and all of your kin watched as the Brotherhood played me the fool and used me to clean their mess, only to discard me once I had outlived my purpose. I only knew that I had a son after I killed him with his own weapon, the truth coming from his very lips as he laid bleeding on this very floor!"

What?

That couldn't be true.

Had the Brotherhood of Light hidden the truth from Gabriel and left him to grieve believing he had nothing left?

Had they been wrong about him killing his son in cold blood?

"God and his Angels watched as everything was taken from me, even my humanity. Where was He when the Brotherhood hid my son from me and turned him into a weapon to kill me? Where was He when I was forced to kill two girls who only wanted to help me? Where was His voice when I was all alone in this castle, falling into madness and later mourning the death of my son at my own hands!?"

...

"Tell me, Seraph… is this God's reward for the devoted and foolish?"

…

The rational part of her mind told her that she must not tell him the truth, for it would only make things worse.

The more emotional side of hers, the one that felt for a man who had been lied to and manipulated to the point that he resented all around him, overruled her rationality and spoke.

"Father could do nothing even if he wanted"

"Those are excuses! A God of Love and Justice would make sure his children did not fall on the wrong path, or suffered without reason. If God is protecting the ones that forced me to kill my son, the ones that destroyed my life with their self-righteousness, why shouldn't I spite him doing the same to him?"

… And there it was.

The truth behind his actions. The truth he believed in with all his heart.

Gabriel Belmont had been left without nothing to care for the world, and even then he was not left alone. His very Order left him in this haunted castle to grief and resent them, and the god who they all served. And when they sent his son (which he didn't know about) to kill him, it all ended with a father murdering his very blood and finding out the truth just after the deed was done.

That had been the breaking point for him, the moment when Dracul had unleashed all of his rage and power in a rampage of revenge against the Brotherhood, against Humanity and against God himself.

And during this time, Heavens had done or said nothing, letting the Brotherhood to its own devices.

During this time, her brothers had remained in silence, not telling Gabriel Belmont of the truth of his family, and letting him sink deeper into Darkness.

And she had done nothing but watch before, only to stop watching when the hero was gone. And she retuned to do the very same thing only after things had gone poorly for everyone.

She had done nothing all this time, and allowed this very outcome to happen.

Enough with secrets, she decided.

He deserved her own truth.

She felt her eyes water as she spoke.

"No, Gabriel. Father couldn't do anything to help you…because he is dead".

There she had said it.

"…"

"He's been dead for almost two hundred years now, having perished in the last battle of the Great War between Angels, Fallen and Devils. Just like his son before Him, Father gave his life for the sake of humanity".

Gabriel the Lord of Shadow remained quiet for many seconds, his body no longer flinching in barely retrained anger and his eyes wide, his face a barely hidden expression of surprise.

Gabriel the Seraph believed that she could perhaps get him to see the truth behind his actions by revealing that the object of his vengeance had nothing to do with his suffering. But she knew this bet had more likely changed his focus.

"…All this time I believed God had merely looked away, or manipulated me through the Brotherhood and prophecies of salvation to do his bidding. That He had taken away what I cared for to spite me for what I had become, perhaps that he was truly not so different than Lucifer himself…"

Before, Gabriel Belmont had openly shown his anger, raising his voice and bellowing, allowing his body to fully express his emotions.

Now, however, this felt like a complete different kind of wrath. If before he had been like a flame raging furiously at its surroundings, now he behaved like the Ice. Cold, showing little to no emotions with an expression of complete stoicism.

"… but now you tell me that He's been dead long before I was born and chosen to play the part of savior of Humanity. That YOU and the other Angels lied to US, to ME, and stayed comfortable in your high clouds, pretending to be HIM and having us following you like blind fools.

You expect me to say that all that I have done is meaningless? That all the human lives that I have taken were for the wrong reasons?

I am very aware of what I am; of what I have become. I fulfilled your little prophecy as you all wished me to, and now we are all paying the heavy price".

Fulfilling Raziel's Prophecy? If anything he had gone against it!

"A pure hearted warrior was to take the power from the Lords of Shadow and unite it to destroy evil in the World. You were supposed to bring down the evil that plagued these lands Gabriel, not to crown yourself as the new Prince of Darkness!"

"I am Dracul, woman, and you have your information either wrong or you are a failure at playing mind games. I found the complete version of that prophecy decades ago, before my grandson felled me:

 _A pure hearted warrior would claim the powers of the Lords of Shadow as his own… but whosoever defeated them would sit upon their throne and rule as the Prince of Darkness"_.

 _'No'_

No.

He had to be lying, playing his own mind games on her now.

What proof did he have to back his words?

It was Raziel who had foretold the prophecy, and her brothers who had revealed it to everyone in Heaven. And that revelation was given to the Brotherhood by her eldest brother, so they could prepare God's chosen for his mission.

And yet…

"I have done what you all expected of me, all the good and all the worse. God's death does not change the fact that you deceived me, that you lot remained quiet long before Zobek's spell and even after I broke it. And you stayed silent once more when my son was sent to his death at my own hands."

The former knight of the Brotherhood finally rose from his throne.

The Seraph took notice of his new stance, and pushed her growing doubts in the back of her mind, her own body readying for the moment.

"But at the very least I can claim a proper target for my vengeance. Perhaps your dried corpse would teach the usurpers and deceivers of your brothers what happens when you toy with a dragon."

He summoned his powers, a crimson light surrounding his right arm.

She summoned her own spear of Light.

"…Is this what you really wish for, Gabriel?"

He clenched his left fist, the mask of stoicism gone.

"Enough talk, servant of God, have at you!"

And thus began her battle against her Father's fallen champion, her life on the line and many questions still plaguing her mind.

* * *

 **-(Play Lords of Shadow OST: Chaotic Battle)-**

Dracul summoned his Shadow Whip and swung it horizontally to force his opponent to evade.

Most would jump back to gain distance as their natural reaction, but an experienced fighter would try a different tactic against an unorthodox weapon with unknown reach. Ducking or jumping high were possible options, and trying to move along the sweep would only work if she was fast enough.

There was also the possibility of her using holy magic to shield herself from the strike.

But trusting his recent experience with fighting Angels, Dracul prepared for the move they were more accustomed to.

She chose to jump high, using her wings to position herself on the air and gain a field advantage over him.

Excellent.

As she summoned several Spears of Light, Dracul called forth his mastery over Chaos Magic.

When he fought Carmilla, one of the biggest challenges had been her ability to fly around him and throw lightning from a safe distance. Lacking any kind of ranged attack besides his daggers, he had been forced to avoid her and wait for any opening she may leave. Fortunately, her penchant for trying close quarters in an attempt to drink his blood and the whip-chain from his Combat Cross provided him with the opportunities to harm her.

Before her, Malphas had also used her flight to avoid his attacks and dive at him, but the Combat Cross and his skill had provided the strategy to defeat her.

When he fought the arrogant Fallen and his followers, he had no Combat Cross or Seraph Wings to fight on even ground. But his enemies had no knowledge of his new abilities, and had not bothered to hide theirs.

As a result of all these fights, Dracul had accumulated lots of experience against enemies reliant on flight, and found ways to exploit said weakness.

And this Angel expected him to fight solely as Gabriel Belmont did.

So, when she launched her numerous Spears of Light…

"Hellfire"

He answered with a barrage of giant fireballs, each capable of disintegrating even a Fallen at contact.

"!"

Both attacks clashed, creating explosions as they tried to overcome one another.

Debris and fire cloaked both fighters, clouding each other from their respective view.

Fortunately for him, Vampires relied on other senses aside from sight.

For example, smell.

Unfortunately for his opponent, she relied on her sight and hearing a lot, just like humans.

Under the cover of the smoke, he turned into mist and teleported right behind her current location, following the scent of the blood pumping in her veins.

He summoned his Shadow Whip again and performed a Guillotine Strike at her exposed back while airborne.

He struck true, and something went flying outside the smoke.

Following its trail, he quickly spun and threw four Shadow Daggers at the target, waiting for a reaction.

They also stuck true, and disappeared without doing any damage.

…

Ah, so that's how it was.

She summoned a Divine Shield using her Holy Power.

It seemed she was good at thinking on her feet, so that meant bringing out stronger attacks.

The first round had ended.

* * *

 **-(Play Lords of Shadow OST: Siege Titan. Not to confuse with Titanic Struggle)-**

Gabriel allowed herself to release a breath under the protection of the Divine Shield.

That had been close.

When she had taken flight, she prepared her spears in order to bombard him and allow no evasion.

Since Holy Power was poisonous for Devils and Dark Creatures, she expected to wound him or at the very least force him back while she gained more distance.

Instead, Dracul had unleashed an attack capable to match her barrage of Spears of Light, and cleverly used the resulting explosion and smoke to somehow get behind her and strike with that crimson whip of his.

Her instincts honed by centuries of battle allowed her to feel the danger on time, but her body wasn't able to follow at the same speed and she would not have been able to summon a teleportation circle inside the castle.

So she quickly created a Divine Shield with her power, which absorbed the hit and protected her along the ride created by the strength behind a strike while lacking foothold.

Another attack had followed after she landed, but this one far less impressive.

After it was over, she looked an expression of realization take over Dracul for an instant before he returned to scowling.

Meanwhile, her mind was in overdrive.

First off, she was weaker.

Normally the strain of summoning projections of Light, as her spears and shield were, was not significant unless she exerted herself too much. Yet, just summoning that many and her current defense had taken ten times the effort compared to usual.

Something in this castle was making it harder to use her abilities, while its master was unaffected as far as she could see. And speaking of the master of the castle…

Dracul had new abilities that she had not accounted for, and she was certain it had not been Shadow Magic empowering his Hellfire.

Strangely enough, he had used that crimson whip instead of his signature weapon, the Vampire Killer. It was a weapon more effective against Undead and demonic beings, but nevertheless strong enough to damage Angels if he tried it.

So why had he used something different?

In any case, she would have to change her strategy, as she had prepared herself to face Gabriel Belmont, forgetting about the possible abilities he could possess as a Vampire.

She would not make the same mistake twice.

 **-(Play Mirror of Fate OST: Night Watchman)-**

Unfurling her wings again, Gabriel took flight in order to engage in close quarters, summoning and throwing a couple of Spears of Light to create an opening.

Her adversary had already landed and proceeded to weave through the attacks, getting closer as well.

She began the next phase of her plan, focusing her Holy Power on different points while she kept her Divine Shield activated. It was straining to do so but it would allow her to set her trap even if he tried teleporting behind her once more.

When they were close enough, he summoned his whip and proceeded with a series of strikes that bounced harmlessly on her defense.

At that moment she summoned Spears of Light from behind and above him, at his sides, and even around her. A much greater number than before hovered around both of them.

She had created a trap that could not be avoided even with teleportation, unless he could actually do so beyond the Throne Room, which would still allow her to escape.

If he tried his trick again, he would be pierced by the Spears of Light at her back before he could even begin breaking through the Divine Shield.

He narrowed his eyes, but otherwise showed no further sign of surprise.

The whip was gone, a blue light surrounding his body.

She fired the Spears of Light around him, trusting her spell to absorb the damage of her own attack.

They all struck, eating away a portion of her reserves as she repaired the Divine Shield.

As for Dracul…

He had taken a page from her book.

Hidden behind a sphere-shaped shield, he gave a small smirk before he summoned a new weapon in his hands.

It was a Longsword, carved with unknown words over its dark steel, and surrounded by a blue colored cold aura.

Holding it with both of his hands, Dracul focused his energies for a few seconds…

And then the shield exploded in a blue light, releasing the power he had gathered all around him.

Her own defense suffered no damage, but the impact pushed her back a few meters and forced her to release the Spears of Light in her back in surprise.

For a moment she thought they were back at square one.

But then he let go of the blue sword and put both of his arms together, before igniting them in fire.

* * *

 **-(Play Mirror of Fate OST: Executioner)-**

It was time to finish the fight.

He had seen enough of his enemy, confirming his suspicions of her reliance on Holy Power, and his reawakened anger demanded that he started to deliver harm upon her.

So he summoned his Chaos Claws and prepared to break in.

Again, he teleported behind her, unleashing a powerful series of burning punches on her Divine Shield and forcing her to focus on the defensive to sustain it.

And that was her mistake.

While the Shadow Whip and the Void Sword were not weak weapons, their focus was not in destruction. The first possessed the greatest range and control, while the second offered healing and skills to disable his enemies with freezing magic.

The Chaos Claws, on the other hand, were destruction incarnate; the manifestation of his burning anger and desire for vengeance.

And they were excellent for smashing trough any armor or shield.

Every hit of his put an enormous strain on the Divine Shield, and cracks appeared slowly at the surface. He did no let her a chance to change to the offensive by continuing the barrage, making her spend more of her reserves in trying to not get pummeled.

Putting all of his weight and much more power behind his next attack, he moved in a burst of speed and fire and punched once more.

When it connected, the shield was torn into pieces instantly, the Seraph unable to repair the damage fast enough, and her expression of surprise and fear evident.

But in her panic, she had forgone restraint and put all of the energies she could muster into a powerful wave of Holy Power that interrupted his attack, pushing him back quite the distance and covering the Throne room in a blinding light.

When the counter attack was over, sight became possible once more.

The first exchange had destroyed his throne and left some damage around, but the room had remained overall the same.

After her Holy Wave, the whole wall and the roof were gone, allowing the moonlight into the hall of the Throne Room.

It had been an impressive attack, probably capable of obliterating numerous Devils and monsters, even those at his castle.

For most Vampires, that attack would have crippled them permanently, if not outright killed them.

For most Vampires.

For he was more than a Vampire who had taken the powers of a Demon God from another dimension.

For all his crimes against Humanity, for all his efforts to spite God and Heavens…

He was still God's Chosen.

Even with God death, he had somehow retained this title before and after his own downfall, which not only meant that he was to fulfill a prophecy that had ruined him.

It also meant that Holy Power did absolutely nothing against him.

It was a sick joke really.

What kind of God made sure that someone who had essentially sworn himself as an enemy of Humanity remained as his champion on Earth?

Still, it provided him with the ultimate edge against His Angels.

One of which was currently breathing heavily after her failed last attack, her eyes and mouth wide and confusion all around her face.

"How?"

As he made his way to her, he gave a simple answer.

"Because even after all I have done, even after what I have become… I am His Chosen One".

When they engaged for one last time, his enemy had barely put up a fight, lost in her own mind.

* * *

 **-(Play Castlevania Symphony of the Night OST: Finale Toccata)-**

What was she doing?

What was she doing here in the castle of the Prince of Darkness, fighting for her life?

What had she been doing all this time since Father's demise?

What was wrong or right?

She didn't know… She just didn't know anymore.

As she parried a strike at her right with an Advanced Spear of Light, Gabriel felt her mind and heart clouded in chaos.

She was going through the motions, avoiding fatal hits just barely.

But she was aware that she was alive only because her opponent wanted to crush her with his own hands.

Her current state of being didn't allow her to seek to exploit this as an opportunity, so focused she was on his last words.

Gabriel Belmont had been the champion of God on Earth, destined to defeat the Lords of Shadow and the Morning Star, as well as destroying the Forgotten One. But he had fallen into his own grief and rage, and was consumed by his desire for vengeance against his Fate.

He had become a monster bent on hunting down Humanity, killing hundreds and terrorizing Europe as a whole. He had even struck against his own blood twice.

And yet, as Dracul, Gabriel Belmont had fought against other monsters and creatures who sought to enslave and harm Humanity.

As Dracul, he had only struck in rage and madness after he realized he had been lied about his son and made to kill him as another nameless knight from the Brotherhood of Light.

Dracul himself believed he had been following the natural result of his Fate, and even as he prepared a force to continue his war, he resented all that led him to his current choices.

And he blamed Heavens for manipulating him, alongside the Brotherhood, to become their weapon.

His proof?

He had ignored a Holy Wave completely. As he was ignoring all of her successful attacks right now.

Devils were dark beings originated from Lucifer and Lilith, whose very existence and way of life revolved around preying on humans' desires and who enjoyed bringing them to the lowest point of depravity or just outright killing them.

They were weak against the Light of Heavens.

Fallen were Angels who gave into Sin, renouncing the selfless mission to protect and guide Humanity and instead preying upon humans and enslaving them, just like Devils.

They could be killed with Holy Power as well.

But Dracul, the Prince of Darkness, was not affected at all.

Because even now he was following the path set out to him, as God's Chosen.

She received a kick in her stomach for losing focus.

"Guh!"

And then her feet were frozen, gluing her to the floor after Dracul had stabbed his sword in the ground.

She could not fly, nor evade, so she tried another burst of power to free herself.

She received a sustained attack from his crimson whip, without any shield to protect her or wings to get away to a safe distance.

Each strike felt as if a thousand fangs ripped her flesh and penetrated to the bone.

She screamed in agony at the pain, as the strikes kept coming.

Her blood fell freely as new wounds appeared in all of her body, even her wings.

Unfortunately for her, Angels didn't have bodies with unbreakable bones, or skin as strong as the best steel. Therefore, when it was too much to continue, she lost any strength left on her legs and was thrown back by the last strike.

She did not get up.

…

 **-(Play Mirror of Fate OST: Theatre)-**

What was she doing here?

What had she been doing all this time since Father's demise?

What was wrong or right?

She didn't know… She just didn't know anymore.

She felt fear at the imminent death that was approaching her.

She felt sadness, for she knew her death would hit the other Great Seraphs hard, if they ever knew she had ended her life on a solitary mission in a place she was not supposed to be.

She felt anger at how Dracul had toyed with her, just to release his own anger and destroy her pride as a warrior of God.

But above all., she felt regret.

Regret at her failure to Humanity, to persuade Dracul to follow the path of redemption and once more become a protector instead of a tyrant.

Regret at failing Gabriel Belmont, following her commands before her heart, and allowing a good man in grief to become an embittered enemy of God's children, one who had been pushed to a Fate that denied him the idea of freedom of choice.

Regret at following blindly every word and every command of the other Great Seraphs, including Michael.

And regret at setting Dracul on a path of war against her brothers and sisters, who had no means to effectively fight God's Chosen.

…

No.

No more.

No more weeping in silent.

No more living in regret and considering what ifs.

There was something she could do, even if it was futile.

Her attacker was now standing at her side, looking at her with those crimson eyes filled with contempt, rage… and a sorrow so deep a big that one could get lost into it and forget oneself.

"It is over, Seraph".

Holding through the pain, Gabriel furled her wings into her back and looked and raised her head at his direction.

"Gabriel"

"I'm not-"

"No… my name is Gabriel, not just Seraph or the Messenger of God."

"...Indeed?"

She laughed a little, and just doing that brought another wave of pain. She pulled trough.

"Yes"

"Then farewell, Gabriel. May you repent in oblivion for all the tragedies your kin brought by pretending to be God and doing nothing after his death."

"… don't hate them please"

"Who?"

"If killing me brings some measure of satisfaction to your desire for retribution, so be it. But don't hate Humanity, don't keep killing all those that are just like you were…

All those people that are just like Marie, Trevor, Simon and even Claudia. People whose lives were taken away because of forces they had no control over, because fights and grudges they were not responsible of.

Hate us if you must, Gabriel. Hate the Brotherhood for all that they did to you. But don't turn your anger on those children who were not guilty of your Fate."

"…"

"Please, just this little act of kindness for someone who also has accepted her own Fate".

Her plead finished, Gabriel the Seraph watched as the glowing blue sword fell down on her.

She closed her eyes.

She felt so tired.

So lost.

So she gave into the darkness that was enveloping her senses.

She knew no more.

* * *

Sometime later…

Outside of Dracul's Castle and far from his immediate domains, stood a man, wearing a red coat.

His chin covered in a black goatee, his hair black with golden bangs.

And on his face he wore an honest smile, even though a part of him was currently missing.

He could say that he had found himself in a very ridiculous situation, but his only complaints were regarding something he always wanted from his current unconscious companion.

"Really, such a misfortune. The only chance I will get to touch your boobs to my pleasure and I have to focus on making sure you don't die on me. I barely managed to convince the Dragon to not kill you and let me carry you to safety."

He released a sigh.

"Then again, that's what older brothers are supposed to do. I keep wondering what you were doing in there alone, but I will keep my curiosity to myself until you are ready to talk".

He summoned a teleportation circle at his feet, ready to leave this place and look for a neutral ground.

"Shall we go, Gabriel?".

* * *

 **A/N: And there it is, the first official chapter. I have not too much to add except review, suggest and share all your ideas and theories to keep this story alive. Happy week to all of you and thanks for following this fanfic.**


	3. Chapter 2: Black Feathers I

**Lord of the Forsaken**

 **Welcome to another chapter of _Lord of the Forsaken_. Again thank you for following the story and giving your opinions and favorites. I decided to break the next event in two parts, the next one coming probably during Easter Week. Hope you enjoy.**

 _ **-Chapter II: Black Feathers I-**_

 _She dreamed._

 _She dreamed for an unknown time, surrounded by darkness, of so many things._

 _Some of them were good memories, and even wishes she held close to her heart._

 _Some were visions of the Great War, of the blood spilled and the lives lost._

 _Sometimes she dreamt of her Father, and was forced to see him release his last breath before forever departing from the World he helped creating._

 _Finally, she dreamt of a man who held his wife and while offering a big smile at them, the darkness around all of them batted away for a few moments._

 _Then, dark hands ripped them away from his arms despite how much he struggled and screamed, only for him to be drown in a sea of blood and disappear from her view._

 _Then… he emerged from the sea of blood in his red coat, pale skin and tears of blood leaking from his eyes._

 _His now crimson eyes that burned with a fury a hatred all focused on her and at her feet._

 _When she looked at both of their feet with attention… she found countless human bodies spread all around them, faceless but still looking at her in silent accusation._

 _Suddenly she found herself being dragged down into the endless pool of blood, unable to do nothing but watch as the azure blade descended upon her to deliver judgement._

 _And when the azure blade was about to cut right over her face…_

 _She screamed._

* * *

 **-(Play Lords of Shadow OST: Underground Dungeon)-**

She awoke screaming, her fear and confusion overriding the pain she was supposed to feel due to the sudden movement and the tensing of her muscles.

She looked frantically around, expecting lakes of blood and crimson eyes.

When she saw none of those, her mind began working properly. And the pain returned.

"Kuh!"

And with the pain came her last memories.

Of her arrival at Dracul's Castle, and her conversation with him.

Of their confrontation, and how he had pretty much dominated the entire fight.

Of her terrible wounds and the pain.

Of how she had begged him to stop focusing his desire for vengeance on the innocents, willingly accepting her own death at his hands.

Of the blade falling on her head… and then nothingness.

Yet here she was, alive somehow.

Taking a moment to calming breath after he rude awakening and the return of her memories, she looked at herself and touched her body with her hands.

"Ow!"

In pain, yes, but still alive, her body currently covered in bandages.

…

Someone had taken care of her, healed her. Probably saved her from Dracul and taken her wherever this place was, since she knew he was going to kill her.

For now, she needed to assert her real surroundings.

A simple small room, with a nice bed that she had been sleeping in until now.

Some old bandages laid discarded on the floor besides her bed, and a simple yet sturdy chair was positioned just at the other side of it. Next, there was a table with a variety of tools and sheets over it, and some writing sheets as well.

The door of the room was located in the wall parallel to the bed, which meant that anyone entering would have an immediate view of her.

And at that moment the door opened.

And an all too familiar face greeted her as she had already summoned a single Spear of Light.

"I suppose that if you have the energy to pull one of those you are good enough to talk now. But first… want something to eat, Gabriel?"- he offered in a disarming tone, a bag filled with different sorts of food raised slightly in front of him with his left hand.

She knew this man.

"…Azazel".

She hadn't lowered her weapon in spite of his cheerful demeanor, her eyes sharp and focused on him, looking for signs of aggression.

She also had one of her hands holding her bed's sheets to cover her upper body, much to the Fallen Angel's chagrin.

He sighed.

"I commend you for not being naïve and keeping your guard up, little sister. But if I have wanted you hurt, I could have let the Dragon finish the job".

She shuddered for a moment at the reminder, but quickly recovered and lowered her spear.

She lowered her head in sign of acknowledgement and spoke.

"Thank you, Azazel. Though we are still enemies, you went out of your way to save me from a fatal fate. Should you ever find yourself in a similar situation, I promise to do the same. For now, I cannot repay you properly but so long as it is within my abilities I will try."

When she raised her eyes again, he was raising one of his eyebrows at her and a lecherous expression took over his features a moment later.

 **-(Play High School DxD New Original Soundtrack - 4 - Tsumari, ochokuttemasu?)-**

"Really? Then I guess I cannot let this chance pass if you are so willing. How about you let me peak and touch those two amazing things on your chest?"-he asked while leering at her generous chest.

…

"But didn't you already touch them when you were healing me?"- Gabriel asked in an innocent tone, tilting her head to the side.

His reply was quick, filled with conviction and, of course, shamelessness.

"No, It's not the same dear sister of mine. If I just look at you when you are wounded and my mind is somewhere else, there is no achievement. If you willingly let me see and touch, then it is a great victory for me, the great leader of Grigori. Greater than any battle, greater than any Sacred Gear…the accomplishment sought by all who call themselves men!"

Had any hot-blooded teenager or even a grown man found himself in hearing range, he would have agreed without reservations, even while pretending to be ashamed.

Unfortunately for the Fallen, the only other person in the room was too busy smiling.

A beautiful smile that could charm any man, were it not for the dangerous aura currently covering Gabriel.

"My, my, Azazel sure has gotten bold in the almost two centuries since we last saw each other. Why, he already fell because of his lecherous ways and now he wants to add greed to his list of sins. Perhaps as a sister I should try to show him the right path?"

Azazel lost his pride, now wearing a nervous smile on his face.

"Wait, wait, let's not get violent in here, ok? You are still recovering after all".

Her smile widened slightly.

"Thank you for being so concerned about me, brother. But I think I should also show my concern for you properly, don't you think?".

The aura of dread grew, and Azazel was now waving his right arm in panic.

"I take it back! I take it back! I only did what an older brother is supposed to, yes? Ahahahaha".

The aura finally disappeared.

"Oh my, even fallen you can show kindness to your family without ulterior purposes. I knew my faith in you was not misplaced".

"Ahahahaha…"

"That aside, I feel famished. Would you be eating as well Azazel?"

After the awkward episode, the Fallen went back to his confident self.

"Sure".

* * *

During the simple but nice meal, Azazel took the only chair in the room, and Angel and Fallen spent the affair remembering the old times.

Simple times, when there were no Fallen or Angels fighting each other.

When their Father had been alive and most of them had been at his side.

Funny episodes like how Azazel used to name all his invention in his youth, earning an embarrassed expression from the Governor of Grigori and a giggle from the Messenger of God.

Or how Gabriel had been so attached to Michael on her early years that she had followed him EVERYWHERE, much to the entertainment of their Father and brothers. Poor Michael had been unable to sleep comfortable for some time.

Eventually, however, the conversation delved into concerning topics.

"So, want to tell me what were you doing back there?"

 **-(Play Lords of Shadow OST: Labyrinth Entrance)-**

Her mood soured, for she knew he was asking about her visit to the castle of Dracul.

"Consider it the real payment for taking care of you and risking myself against someone who can leave you in the kind of state I found you 3 days ago."

Normally, Gabriel would have avoided answering, or politely changed the topic, as they belonged to factions warring against each other, truce or not. Adding the fact that he was one of the leaders of Grigori, it only made sense to not share anything regarding her quest.

But she wasn't sure anymore. In spite of fighting against each other during the Great War, deep inside she trusted her fallen brother, who had bothered to rescue her from someone who he had no allegiance to.

Besides, she really needed to talk to someone that was not Michael after all the things she learned.

"I wanted to find the truth"- she replied while sighing sadly.

"The truth?"

"The truth about Dracul, and why he decided to engage in a long war against Humanity".

"And you expected that he would just tell you and give you the clues to convince him to not keep on the bad behavior… really Gabriel, what were you thinking? Couldn't you ask Michael about it?"

As the name of her elder brother was mentioned, she shook her head in denial.

"I have found too many things that did not make sense with everything Michael told me about the Lords of Shadow, God's Chosen and Dracul. And all the later revealed was making more sense the more I thought about it."

"Therefore you wanted to go by yourself".

"…Therefore, I needed to see for myself. I know of the identity of Dracul, just like everyone in Heaven and most of the elders in the Brotherhood; but Michael forbid us to interfere or make any sort of contact with Dracul. And that was the culmination of a series of mistakes that could have been avoided".

"Mistakes? From who?"

"The Brotherhood, the prophecies and of course us, the Great Seraphs. We all put the weight of the World on the shoulders of a lone man, and watched as he slowly broke until he became the very antithesis of what he was supposed to be".

Azazel said nothing, merely listening, so she continued.

"But the worse is that perhaps the Brotherhood and even my elder brothers in Heaven knew about that possibility… and sought its realization."

* * *

 **-(Play Mirror of Fate OST: Map Screen)-**

When Azazel had begun his inquiry, he had expected something simple.

Either Michael had finally deemed important to stablish communication with the man who was known as The Dragon (after letting him run amok for so long), or his esteemed but naïve sister had gone alone believing she could talk with someone with such an infamous reputation and come unscathed. None were exactly good, especially if Michael had actually been crazy enough to believe a lone Seraph could deter or convince Dracul when the guy had been razing compounds of the Brotherhood and even human villages for almost a century now.

Sending Gabriel on her own meant his former brother was willing to sacrifice their younger sister. And Fallen or not, Azazel cared for Gabriel.

He hadn't expected her to go on a solitary mission, probably behind Michael's back, not just because of how loyal and obedient she tended to be around him, but also because Gabriel had always been smart enough to realize the danger of such kind of situations. Even so, she still went alone and almost got killed by the master of the castle.

However, her motivation had not been a desire to provide help to Heaven, or even stopping The Dragon on her own.

Gabriel had just admitted that she could not trust Michael's words blindly any longer, and that the doomed adventure she had embarked to had been an effort to ask directly to the source.

She had almost died not because a command to go on a risky mission, but because she had been willing to risk death in order to discover what her brothers were not telling her.

And the reasons for her uncertainty were concerning.

"Are you saying Michael and the others wanted the Old Man's chosen to become an evil overlord that makes the Lords of Shadow look tame?"

Oh yes, he was aware of true name of The Dragon.

Since the truce had been signed between the Three Biblical Factions, both Devils and Fallen had followed the events after with interest, even if the former had been more active in the Human World. Therefore, Grigori had known of the rise and fall of the so called Lords of Shadow in Europe.

Devil-like rulers that shared the same names as the famous human warriors who had transcended into Angels at the last stages of the Great War, and who had armies of monsters under their command. It was believed that each of the Lords could have faced a High-Class Devil on their own, perhaps even an Ultimate Class.

And when they had somehow managed to cast a spell to isolate Earth from Heaven, the Underworld as a whole had been hectic.

Azazel himself had been surprised, and ordered Baraqiel to ready their troops to mobilize either to the Human World or to the frontier they shared with the Devils in case his suspicions proved to be true and under the heavy risk of the truce coming to an abrupt end. At the same time, he had commanded Shemhazai to make surveillance in the Human World to gather intelligence on the event.

That was how he found out about Michael's answer to the problem in the form of the Brotherhood of Light and their champion, Gabriel Belmont.

The Holy Warrior had proved to be capable of holding his own against all the challenges ahead, his efficiency going in hand with his ruthlessness, something unusual for a chosen of Heaven. But he had succeeded in making his way through monsters and even the Lords of Shadow themselves.

Heck, he had even kicked that prick Lucifer's ass back to his hiding spot, even if the Morning Star had been far from his prime.

When the spell had been broken, Shemhazai had been forced to return to the Underworld to help in cooling down their relationship with the other factions, but his last report had informed him that Belmont had left to Bernhard Castle for unknown reasons. And for a while that had been the last news he had on him.

That was until years later, when a Vampire Lord calling himself Dracul had entered the stage, declaring a personal war against Humanity and striking with a cruelty and rage that made the former Lords of Shadow look tame.

For a long time, they had no idea of the identity of this new player on the board; only that his hostility was not limited to humans, but also to Devils and Fallen as well, if Kokabiel getting his butt kicked back to Grigori was enough proof.

That is, until his little trip into the domains of The Dragon, which had resulted in him rescuing his little sister and meeting the Vampire Lord face to face.

Though different in feeling and some specific features, his appearance was too much like that of the information gathered on Gabriel Belmont to be a coincidence.

The sworn enemy of Humanity was its former champion, and yet it had been the humans and not the Angels who had resisted him for almost a century now.

And Gabriel suspected that this had been on purpose.

So did Azazel.

 **-(Play Castlevania Harmony of Despair OST: Hymnus/Main Theme Extended)-**

"That's what Dracul believes, and I don't like how much it fits with everything".

"You know he could be lying right? Trying to justify himself? Earn your sympathy? I myself could tell you anything at this moment just to fit in my own agenda."

And it was true. Azazel was smart not just when it came to research but also in politics. He had avoided his own death and that of the other leaders of Grigori in the last stages of the Great War by commanding the early retreat of the Fallen from the battlefield. By doing this he had made sure that, in spite of having lower numbers, the Fallen were better organized when the desire for a truce was announced.

"I believe that this concerns you as well Azazel, considering your Cadre tried to do the very thing Dracul despises the most, use him as a weapon. I know you don't desire any more senseless death for your side, just like I don't desire the same for my brothers and sisters in Heaven. But I trust what I saw, what I felt from that man when I spoke with him.

I know as well that Michael and the Brotherhood, and I as well, all put our trust in the prophecy of Raziel. Gabriel Belmont was supposed to become the savior of mankind, freeing it from the rule of the Lords of Shadow, from the machinations of Lucifer… and from something much worse."

Something worse than the Morning Star? Unless she was speaking about the Heavenly Dragons or even the Dragon Gods, he could only make one speculation after another.

"I know Michael has yet to share any interest in going beyond a truce, but I need your help brother".

"And he is right. It's not just about you and me Gabriel, it's about our people. Angels and Fallen fought bitterly and lost comrades and loved ones during the centuries of conflict. We cannot simply ignore that and force them to forget the old wounds. Asking me for help is putting too much trust and faith in me."

"I know Azazel, believe me I do. But I need your own perspective in all this, even if you decide to lie or hide something."

He stared at her in a serious expression and then replied in a flat tone.

"Even if there is a chance to use this information to hurt the reputation of Michael, and by extension Haven itself?"

"…At this point is no more than we deserve. We have used human lives for the sake of protecting human lives from Devils and Fallen, but in the process we allowed another kind of evil to rise. No, we made sure that evil was created in the first place."

Heaven creating evil? What the hell did she mean by that?

What the hell had Michael been doing that he had pushed the Messenger of God to question the very sanctity behind their choices?

Gabriel was unable to lie even to save her own life, so Azazel could trust her words. Which only made more troublesome every new bit of information she shared with him.

"You mentioned something even more problematic than that prick of Lucifer. Is it the Dragon Gods? Because even the Old Man could not fight those, least of all create something capable of doing so on his own."

"It was not them. The Founders of the Brotherhood and late brothers and sister of ours fought and sealed a powerful Demon a long time ago, before their ascension. Something the Bernhard family summoned, probably expecting some powerful Devil to bind for their purposes. Given his minor role in the war and what little we knew of his origins we named him _The Forgotten One_."

"And what made this guy more dangerous than all others?"

"As you know Demons and Devils may be similar and even share some portions of the Underworld, but their origins are completely different. Demons originally come from a whole different dimension, one we all know as the Shadow Plane. The Forgotten One was supposedly the sovereign of that dimension, and as far as the Founders and Michael could tell, he had the power to back up that claim."

…Well shit. That did make him stronger than Lucifer, even if the Old Man could still have prevailed if they had ever fought.

"And this guy was going to escape soon?"

"The founders tied the seal to their life force, one of the reasons they wanted to become Angels in the first place. As the Lords of Shadows were created as a result but still tied to their heavenly counterparts, so long as they lived the seal would have remained-"

"Wait, wait, wait. Did you just say the Lords of Shadow were created by humans ascending into angelhood?"

"…Yes. It was an unexpected outcome of a necessary decision. One I only discovered as I watched Gabriel Belmont confront Cornell the Lycan Lord, during his quest. Therefore-"

"Killing the Lords of Shadows meant killing the Seraphs as well. And in doing so, Gabriel Belmont weakened the seal locking the Forgotten One out of the Human World. Did he know?"

"No, he found out on his own when he spoke with Carmila's daughter, Laura, after he banished Lucifer and broke the Spell of Separation."

Which pretty much resulted in the poor guy being told he had to clean another mess on his own.

No wonder he started resenting his position as God's Chosen. Adding the fact that Heaven continued being pretty much passive in the zone after the connection with Earth had been restored, it explained his willingness to strike against a Seraph.

"I assume he won the battle since he almost killed you about a week ago. But when did he turn into a Vampire Lord with a demonic aura?"

He watched as Gabriel's mood went from sour to somber, sadness more evident now in her face.

"Michael explained to me, and Laura revealed to Gabriel as well, that neither Humans or Heavenly Beings could survive inside the Dimensional Prison, and it was only worse in the Shadow Plane. Only dark beings, including Devils, were attuned with the kind of energies that made that place."

"So, similar to the Dimensional Gap, only no Dragon Gods in there. But since he was a human back then… the Vampire."

"Gabriel took Laura's life at her request by drinking all of her blood and turning into a Vampire, a dark creature, in the process. With that done, he went alone into the Dimensional Prison to confront the Forgotten One before the Demon escaped and unleashed his vengeance for centuries of imprisonment. And he won".

"And then he manages to return to the Human World and decides he no longer cares for being God's Chosen and instead embraces a new role as the successor of the Lords of Shadow."

"Yes."

...

Azazel reflected on what he just learned.

Michael and the Brotherhood had sent Belmont alone on a mission extremely hard to accomplish, not revealing important details that could have eroded his resolution until the moment he could not look away. They had also allowed him to become a Devil of sorts even though he was supposed to be the human champion of Heavens and Humanity, becoming the very type of creature he had been fighting all that time.

And that made no damn sense.

Azazel would have liked to know if Michael had found acceptable to use Devils against Devils and Fallen, or any other kind of enemy. And since they had been able to descend to Earth after Lucifer's defeat, the more obvious choice would have been to support Belmont when the Demon got out since there was no way in for them.

But Michael was concerned about Angels and not just Humanity, and he knew the Archangel wanted to avoid mobilizing his forces for risk of escalating tensions, especially when they were in the middle of trying to cool them down.

The conclusion he could make explained Gabriel's concerns.

Michael and the Brotherhood had used God's Chosen to fulfill a prophecy for the greater good, avoiding spending their own forces and instead saving them to keep the status quo with the other factions. In the process, they let said man become a monster bent against Humanity.

"What was the prophecy you all fancied so much that you decided to put all on the shoulders of a human warrior?"

Gabriel answered.

" _Only a pure-hearted warrior could defeat the Lords of Shadows and claim their powers as his own… but whosoever defeated them would sit upon their throne and rule as the Prince of Darkness_

The second part was unknown to me until recently, and unknown to Gabriel Belmont during his journey. But according to Dracul, the Brotherhood knew; and most likely did the other Great Seraphs. Worst of all, they also lied about his son."

"…I'm not going to like the answer but I will still ask anyway: What else did Michael hide?"

"They believed that only his blood could defeat the Prince of Darkness, so they convinced his wife during her pregnancy and after the birth of his son that she had to give him away so he could become his father's murderer. And she accepted, never telling her husband of his existence."

"…"

"And Dracul fought and killed his own son 25 years later, only finding out after his dying progeny revealed the truth to him. That is when he decided that he would hunt down God's children to forever spite him for all the lies, all the manipulation and for taking everything for him. Until his own grandson killed him decades later."

"And yet there is now, his castle standing and his army gathering once more. Does he believe that the Old Man is still alive?"

She shook her head in denial.

"Not anymore. I decided that he deserved the truth and told him that Father had been death for almost two centuries now. He didn't take it very well".

"You pretty much focused his rage on Heaven, with you being the closest he could get to unleash his anger on it. And he may still want to kill humans just to screw with you. What did you expect to gain from using the truth?"

"At that moment? I had hoped that he realized neither Father nor his children on Earth were responsible for his suffering, with the exception of the elders of Brotherhood perhaps. But he only grew more bitter towards all of us.

More than anything, however, I wanted to correct my mistakes. I watched it all, Azazel. All that transpired from the rise of the Lords of Shadow to the defeat of Dracul. And all that time we did nothing, I did absolutely nothing but watch."

Atonement then. But she had pretty much contradicted Michael's plans by revealing the truth to Dracul, and painting a target on them.

But what surprised him the most was that Gabriel had taken what was essentially a selfish decision.

Not being able to deal with her own guilt and regrets, and disagreeing with the one currently occupying the Throne of Heaven, she had attempted to solve the situation and risked turning the ire of the fallen champion on the Angels, a least with a bigger drive this time.

"Your actions may have just given him more motivation to continue his vengeful crusade. You almost die without being sure if your bet had been successful at all. And in the end… can you be sure that, even with all the coincidences, Dracul was being truthful?"

"I have witnessed something that shook my very understanding of how falling works, Azazel. Dracul is completely impervious to Holy Power.

What?

"You're kidding, right?"

She didn't look like she was, but he needed confirmation.

"Maybe you didn't use enough power against him? We both know that the strongest Devils can handle holy weapons and spells, but enough power can eventually injure them. That's how all the Satans but Lucifer died in the War."

"I used a Holy Wave with as much power I could muster after he broke my magical defenses, and then I kept attacking with weapons of light. He was pushed back, but nothing else."

"I hope you are wrong then, sister. Otherwise, Angels and Fallen are both pretty much screwed if he ever finds a way into our territories."

"That is why I need your help brother. After that encounter and the revelations I'm not sure what is true anymore, and a second opinion would be good."

"I'll be honest with you then. I cannot give you the answers you seek, for I was not involved in this mess when it was happening. And I still think you did something stupid by trying talking with the guy that is wrath incarnated. Nevertheless, it is my problem if a guy immune to Holy Power decides to engage the Fallen in war, so I will offer anything I can when it comes to intelligence".

For the first time since the conversation began, Gabriel smiled at him and put one of her hands on his.

"And I will welcome your help with all my heart, brother. For I will soon do another thing you may consider stupid as well, and I'm not sure we'll be seeing each other in the short term."

He released a sigh. Such a troublesome Angel.

"But before any of that, there is one thing I want to know. Where exactly are we?"

He smiled again, knowing the answer would surprise her.

"Why, you are currently resting in a simple house that is part of Wygol Village".

* * *

 **A/N: There you have it, the second/third chapter. It's pretty much a recount of the last events tough the meeting between two important characters, as well as setting in motion some of the events to come. Next time Gabriel and Azazel say goodbye and we will have the big confrontation between Angels (not necessarily fights).**

 **I encourage you to keep with the reviews, both ideas and questions are welcome. If you have any doubt regarding Lords of Shadow please do share it, so I can post the answers for everyone in the next chapters.**

 **Have a good day everyone!**


	4. Chapter 3: Black Feathers II

**Lord of the Forsaken.**

 **Finally! Took me days of review and correction but it's finally here. With this chapter concludes the first arc of the story. Funny thing, considering I'm posting this on Easter Week. Before anything else, let me answer some reviews.**

 **To Strike the Blood: I will be touching the topic of the Carmilla and the Teppes factions soon, though I will clarify at once that those are a different kind. While Carmilla is the progenitor and first ruler of the Vampires in both Lords of Shadow and DxD, their lore is different. For example, Vampires in Lords of Shadow are monstrous most of the times due to being young or that the converted is not human to begin with (Brauner and Olrox in that version were Demons summoned by Carmilla); they also do not care if you let them in or not, or even if there is hallowed ground like a graveyard or a Church, or if you throw garlic at them. Vampires in DxD, on the other hand, have more commonly shared abilities among them, and a particular advantage that will be touched in later chapters.**

 **As for Dracul's attitude, he is not the same guy from Mirror of Fate, or from the time of Trevor's Chapter. Before killing Trevor, Gabriel Belmont had embraced his Fate with contempt against the Brotherhood and God, but only attacked villages because. He was your typical noble vampire who considered himself above morals and smoothly talked to his enemies about the hypocrisy of Heaven. After realizing he killed Trevor, he had reasons to kill people, personal reasons. He didnt care about portaying his justice as a favor to humans, he just wanted to roar in fury. After his defeat at the hands of Alucard and Simon, Dracul was humbled. That is why no great speeches like an educated high noble or even the Devils of the Old Faction from DxD.**

 **As for his power, let me put it this way. The Lords of Shadow were the counterparts of the founders, whose strength was second only** **to God. The Forgotten One was supposed to be as strong or even stronger than Lucifer. And Dracul has most of the power of the Forgotten One, his bloodline from Laura as a Vampire, and the ability to channel God's Power as his Chosen One. In Lords of Shadow 2, Dracul tricks Nergal into following him and both of them enter into Castlevania, where Nergal realizes his power has been greatly reduced. And the only thing in Lords of Shadow able to kill Dracul is the Vampire Killer Combat Cross, currently destroyed.**

 **How powerful is he then? I would expect him to fight toe to toe against Super Devil Sirzechs and even survive his Power of Destruction, even if his body may be temporarily destroyed; and this is just speaking in raw power terms. If he drags Sirzechs into Castlevania...Sirzechs is his bitch.**

 **To Hiei-Uchiha: Nice idea, and I admit the possibilities of Kiba's Sacred Gear are similar to Projection and Alteration with Unlimited Bladeworks. Not dealing with that yet, but could be done. **

**Tx for the reviews and for following this fanfic, and I hope you enjoy this piece. On to the story now!**

 ** _-Chapter III: Black Feathers II-_**

 ** _-(Lords of Shadow 2 OST: City in Flames)-_**

When the Lord of Shadows unleashed his fury upon the lands of the Kingdom of Hungary and even beyond, many villages and towns were lost. This was especially true wherever there were compounds or posts dedicated to the Holy Orders, in particular those belonging to the Brotherhood of Light.

While the most important kingdoms and empires had yet to experience a personal visit from the armies of the Prince of Darkness, there was support to the Popes Gregory VII and Clement III, as well as the Brotherhood of Light, in their efforts to face this threat. Despite focusing most of their resources in their personal squabbles, the rulers of Europe feared what could happen if the monster preying upon their people and lands was not stopped.

Yet, their efforts were not enough. The armies of Dracul advanced slowly but surely, and the news of new military posts lost and razed villages became a common thing for both the nobles and the common folk.

Then, in the year 1103, the monsters lost their previous cohesion and drive, devolving into mindless beasts or small groups that lacked the coordination and strength of before. News came that the Lord of Shadow had been defeated by a warrior from the Belmont Lineage, and that the demonic castle had collapsed following the death of its master.

During the following decades, the nobles had abandoned the cause completely and left the cleanup duty in the hands of the Church and the Brotherhood of Light, as even without a ruler the monsters still presented a problem.

The rule of the Lord of Shadow Dracul had been bloody and terrible, with many warriors and villagers losing their lives to the armies of darkness. When the rumors of the castle rising again began spreading around, all feared a repetition of the events, perhaps even a campaign of slaughter surpassing the previous one.

But there was one thing that would most likely remain the same.

There was one place that had yet to relive these kinds of horrors in the almost one hundred years since the defeat of the previous Lords of Shadow.

A small village that was ironically located the closest to the castle of Dracul, making it the most expected point where the Prince of Darkness would have begun his attacks.

Now and before, however, the village was standing. No monsters had entered to kill indiscriminately; no kidnappings had occurred in the midst of the night while everyone had been sleeping. And no burnt buildings or corpses littering on the streets.

One could say that the people of this villages would live happy or perhaps brag about the special treatment they had received in all this time.

But in Wygol, fear was a common thing.

Fear of going alone to hunt for food or collect the harvest. Fear of leaving their children or women alone. Even fear of a visit from the Brotherhood, calling the attention of the master of the castle in the mountains above.

All in all, Wygol villagers feared a return to the days when Carmilla sent her vampire minions to raid their houses and to terrorize them.

How did they deal with this fear of the uncertain?

Praying to God to protect them from evil.

Praying to God to send another Belmont, and hope that this time the castle and its master would be gone forever. For the people of Wygol owed their salvation to God's Chosen, who had freed them many years ago from the Vampire Lord Carmilla, and to his bloodline who valiantly fought twice against the new lord of the castle.

But until that day came, the best they could do was try their best to survive.

For nobody remembered that Wygol even existed at this point, except for the Angels in Heaven, the Fallen and Devils in the Underworld… and the Dragon above in the mountains.

The last one had made sure the Brotherhood could not stablish any kind of foothold in their village or its proximities, and with most of its forces scattered and hunting down the remnants of his first crusade, a dormant Dragon was no concern as of now.

Therefore, Wygol was left to its own fate and the mercy of God.

And Gabriel the Seraph was currently walking amongst the streets of this forsaken place posing as human, her brother and leader of a once enemy faction accompanying her.

Even after a couple of days passed since awakening, her surprise had barely subsided.

The little village that was known as the last human settlement before entering the domains of the Dark Lord was certainly not impressive on its own, especially when compared with other settlements at the outskirts of the Hungarian Kingdom. Nevertheless, it shined on its own way.

Filled with a strange mixture of acceptance, anxiety and hope, the people of Wygol went on their everyday the best they could. Abandoned yet not surrendering to despair, isolated and yet willing to help each other however possible.

It was a prison as much as a sanctuary, surrounded by the Darkness.

It filled the Seraph with hope in Humanity to see these people so willing to walk forward, despite all the terrible dangers and temptations to surrender to them. It reminded her the reason why her Father had personally joined the Great War, what he had given his life for.

"They certainly try their best to hide it, but you and I both can sense their discomfort with us, right?"

She replied to her brother with a nod, letting him continue.

"No surprise there, considering we are two strangers bringing who knows to their village. Still, they are a nice bunch, and have their own share of good cooking… and women".

Her brother started to giggle in a low voice after his last comment, making her sigh.

"Azazel do not bring problems to the people who gave us food and a roof with your lecherous ways, please?"

He raised both hands in defense.

"Hey, I'm not doing anything here. But the truth is the truth, and I am merely commenting on what I see and experienced… not the women here of course, hehehe."

She raised an eyebrow at his nervous smile, but decided let it go, instead returning to the original topic of their conversation.

"From what I saw at the castle and given his current outlook of the World, I can understand the concerns of these people. They may have been lucky or unimportant before, but if he is so bent on his war against God and Heaven, these people could become the first casualties once he finishes gathering his army anew.

I feel responsible for igniting his rage by revealing the death of Father and confirming our knowledge of his Fate, but I don't have the means to oppose him, especially not on my own. The best I can do is fight his forces, and for that I need the support of my brothers in Heaven. And also…"

Azazel frowned at her.

"You know well there is a good chance what you fear is true, Gabriel. If they knew about all that you told me, it is to expect that Michael will not move a finger for fear of weakening his forces and also for the sake of his prophecy. For your own sake, it would be best to forget about The Dragon and follow what he has on his mind".

"I know my older brothers in Heaven would never lie to me, even if I don't like the answers I receive. I need to know that we haven't done all of this in vain, to convince him to try a different approach with Dracul."

Again, her brother rebutted her.

"If by some miracle Dracul and Michael meet on the same room, the first would immediately jump and rip off the other into pieces. I don't know how to help you in this, but I do know that diplomacy is out of the way. Maybe, before the death of his son that could have worked, but Michael decided to throw away that option for whatever he wanted from that prophecy of yours."

He was right in all his points, but she still refused to stop.

"Even so, I have to go. I have to meet Michael and talk to him, to find my answers".

Azazel sighed and stopped his walking, turning to look at her into the yes.

"Look, Gabriel, I am one of the first to wish for you to become a Fallen because I am a shameless mega pervert, no point denying that. But the Gabriel I know and care for is the Angel with the purest heart and with kindest soul I have seen since our Father. And I don't want to see you go up there to have your spirit crushed by the harsh truth."

She smiled, thankful for his honest concern but also showing him her resolve.

"I'm still going. I refuse to live in ignorance for any longer and even if it ends up being a pointless endeavor, I will make sure I didn't just follow commands that go against what I have fought for, what our Father fought and died for."

She stopped talking, seeing they had both already exited the village.

"Perhaps this will be the last time we see each other in a long time, but it was still nice talking to you as we did before you fell, Azazel. And once more, thank you for taking care of me."

She released her wings for the first time in days, feeling them strong and ready to carry her to any desired destination. At her feet, a magic circle for teleportation appeared.

Her brother smiled as well, bidding her goodbye.

And then she was gone, back into Heaven.

* * *

Azazel watched his sister depart to Heavens, keeping the smile on his face.

Only after the light from the teleportation spell disappeared, he allowed himself to grimace.

A week ago he had been exploring the domains of Dracul, to satisfy his own curiosity as well as to escape the loads of work that Shemhazai had piled in his personal quarters.

After getting the reports of the resurgence of the castle of the Lord of Shadows, the Governor General of Grigori had taken the chance to see for himself.

He had been successful in avoiding detection up until he had passed the village they had been staying at. From that point onward he had to use his own tricks in order to hide from any eyes that worked under the service of The Dragon.

During this later phase, he had spotted the lone Seraph who he recognized as his younger sister, and decided to tail her until he was aware that even his spell of camouflage would no longer work.

He had been forced to rely on an invention of his own in order to watch her from the distance.

And then he had abandoned his cover after the explosion of Holy Power from within the castle made way for the screams of agony of his little sister.

When he had gotten close enough, he had witnessed who he believed was Dracul about to cleave Gabriel with an azure blade, her form sprawled in the floor and covered in numerous wounds.

He had intervened.

* * *

 ** _-(Play Dumah Clain Territory IV–True OST)-_**

 _Azazel Summoned his own weapon, and his blade of dark purple advanced with a one-handed thrust, aiming for the neck of the wielder of the azure death._

 _The action succeeded in forcing his target to change objectives out of instinct, using his weapon to deflect his strike._

 _He followed by throwing a small device with his other arm, right between them._

 _The device activated with a light purple glow, releasing a powerful force-field that covered both the Fallen Angel and he wounded Seraph, and pushing back the Vampire Lord._

 _For a moment, a small part of Azazel had believed that he could teleport away under the protection of his invention._

 _A portable force-field that could stand against most attacks, with the exception of those very powerful ones which took time to perform. Useful for giving the necessary cover to catch a breath, make some quick plans during a battle or simply as he had intended: a cover to make an escape._

 _Unfortunately, two things happened._

 _First, he was unable to teleport to the outside, even while the room they were in had been blown and left exposed to the open by Gabriel's last attack._

 _Second, the Vampire had proceeded to wreathe his arms in fire and PUNCHED through the field with only the small of efforts noticeable._

 _And despite the affable way of his words, he looked very pissed off._

 _"Reinforcements? I was aware of somebody else entering my domains but to see a Fallen of all things saving the life of a Seraph… this night is truly filled with revelations."_

 _The fire covering his arms increased in volume and heat, something Azazel could feel even some meters away from him._

 _"It matters not. You and her both will perish here. I will have my revenge on you all."_

 _The Fallen Angel had considered flying away, but quickly discarded the idea. On her current state, there was no way Gabriel would take well a hard flying, with evasion and fighting included._

 _Besides, his intervention had not gone unnoticed by just the master of the castle._

 _Creatures of all kind were surrounding the room, cutting off the option of just going outside. Should he try on his own and leave the Seraph he could probably leave the tower, but the whole reason he was trapped in this situation had been her._

 _Therefore, he tried a third option._

 _"Hey I don't know what she did to piss you off so much, but I haven't done anything to you buddy."_

 _He didn't seem to believe him._

 _"Your kind has tried using me for their own means before, and now you are getting in the way of my kill."_

 _He started walking to him with heavy steps, and Azazel could hear the other denizens of the castle move around them._

 _He took a defensive stance in with the blade._

 _"I'm being honest when I say this is our first meeting, so any other Fallen you have met before was going against my orders. I strictly told them to not put any feather in these lands."_

 _Dracul kept his slow advance, but still countered his words._

 _"Am I supposed to believe you? All of you Angels seem to enjoy portraying an image of perfection, while deep inside you are not above playing with others. If you expect to buy time with a silver tongue, then you are sorely mistaken. You cannot get away unless you fight your way out, and I'm not letting any of you escape from here"._

 _'Keep the conversation, but remind your adversary that you are no pushover', that was something important when attempting to bargain, especially for survival._

 _"I cannot speak for Michael and his merry friends, but I am a Fallen. I enjoy getting laid, feasting and researching all kind of stuff. I lie when it fits me, but believe me when I say that I don't bother pretending to be God or any saint of sorts. Besides, if a fight is what you want I can promise you will lose a good bunch of your servants and even an arm or a leg."_

 _The Vampire didn't seem to care and continued his march._

 _Azazel took a look into his eyes and witnessed a burning fury, the likes of which he had only seen a handful of times._

 _It was then that he understood that the Vampire Lord cared not for loses, and that his desire to destroy both him and his sister would not be quelled by possible threats._

 _Flaring his power, he stood protectively over his wounded sister and almost burned his brain thinking any way out of this dilemma._

 _If threatening and trying to defuse tensions by talking proved to be useless, then resolution was the next choice._

 _Shemhazai would probably tear him a new one when he saw him again for pretty much risking his own life for another faction, and the stability of Grigori as well._

 _That is, if he made it back._

 _For Azazel considered himself a very good judge of character, and had garnered a reputation as a master tactician._

 _Studying both strategist and battles of the human world and the supernatural side of it, and combining this knowledge with his experience during the Great War, he had acquired a very keen sense of judgement when it came of measuring the balance of strengths._

 _He knew he was outmatched._

 _Even if nor servants had been blocking his way out, he could feel the power behind the Vampire Lord. Adding the fact that he looked very much unharmed while Gabriel laid half-dead in at his side, it was to expect that the one in front of him was as strong as him or Michael._

 _And Azazel had to fight for himself and a wounded Gabriel, expecting attacks from any direction._

 _…_

 _Well, guess he was going to get his old friend very mad._

 _His adversary stopped just a couple of meters in front of them and spoke again._

 _"You were a fool to arrive in here without any kind of support, and even more of a fool to fight while having a wounded at your side. But your eyes are sharp, those of someone who is accustomed to plan before rushing into the fray. Did you really believe you could find a way out of this situation? Are you convinced that you can offer something to stop me?"_

 _"Yeah I'll admit I didn't plan this at all. My subordinates are going to rip off a handful of my feathers just to make sure their discontent is known. But I still regret nothing. As for bargaining, I can still try, right?"_

 _The Vampire looked annoyed but made no further movements. Then he replied._

 _"I care not for your games, Fallen One. Your bet has gone poorly and now you ought to pay the consequences of your arrogance. I will kill that woman, whether or not I have to go through your corpse!"_

 _Azazel did not move._

 _"Sorry can't do that. She and I have our history and I cannot let you finish her off. Even if we are both to die anyways."_

 _…_

 _"Comradery among Fallen and Angels… now that's rich. You who were discarded because you gave into human temptations are willing to risk your life for one of the Archangels of the God who abandoned you?"_

 _Well he did have a point. Still he offered a smile and a reply._

 _"To be fair, I abandoned him as well by deciding to live as I do. I killed Angels and Devils alike, and became the leader of a faction that refused to fall under His command or become His instruments. But the big guy is the big guy, and Gabriel is Gabriel. And I am myself, a master of my own choices._

 _And I chose to protect my little sister in here."_

 _For a good 10 seconds, none of them moved._

 _For Azazel it felt way longer, and he took his time to observe their host._

 _He suspected many emotions and ideas went through the Vampire's head, is the tension on his face was any sign. There was also the barely noticeable grinding of his teeth and clenching of his hands, meaning he was actually considering._

 _He decided to put an extra to put the balance on his side._

 _"I know who you are, Dracul. And as I said before, I am going to try bargaining for out safety. I will offer you something that will be sure to gain your interest."_

 _"…And what is it?"_

 _Azazel allowed himself to smile._

 _"An interesting bit of information…"_

* * *

Fortunately, his bet had worked, and he had been allowed to take his sister with him.

-hisssss-

Of course, Dracul didn't have a blind trust on his words, and he had made sure to put his own conditions.

The first had been that Gabriel recovered on the village of Wygol, under the watchful eyes of the Dragon.

"hssssss"

"…"

The second was more of a fact. Dracul had been watching them during their whole stay, by means of one of his Servants.

A creepy girl with snakes covering her body, a tattered dress that showed it had seen much better days before… and a very perturbing way of moving, as if her limbs had to struggle to move into the right positions.

"hhssss The Prince waits for you, Fallen One".

"…"

Seriously, couldn't he have chosen one of the cute Servants?

Sure, having monsters was good for an image of an Evil Overlord, but nobody said you cannot have some pretty girls (or monster girls) in your Evil Lair.

Well, he could try asking the guy on the way to their destination. Ha had a bargain to finish.

But before following after the envoy of Dracul, Azazel looked up to the sky one last time, thinking of his sister in Heaven.

Gabriel was too naïve.

Too pure of heart.

A trait like that made her easy to trust, and a powerful symbol of all the virtues that Heaven preached about. More than that, it gave her the strength and will of heart to uphold her beliefs, and to resist the different temptations that had driven other Angels, including him, to falling. All but one.

Blinded by her guilt and her desire to make amends for her previous inaction, Gabriel had forgotten that there had been another one before who had held his beliefs high and fought for their sake, only to become disillusioned and enraged after the truth had been revealed.

As he lowered his head, he took two small objects for a brief moment, just to confirm that he had been right the first time.

On his left hand, he held a pair of feathers that had dropped from the wings of the Seraph while he had been healing her.

A pair of feathers stained in black.

* * *

 ** _-(Play Soul Reaver 2 OST: Pillars)-_**

For some people, Heaven was one single place, whose dimensions were impossible to measure and where all the souls of the dead as well as the Angels resided.

In reality, Heaven was divided in seventh zones, each one with its specific purpose.

The First Heaven, home of most Angels and the first line of defense against any incursion from Fallen or even Devils.

The Second Heaven, a vast darkness where the Angels looked at the stars and imprisoned the sinners of their kind.

The Third Heaven, the actual place where the souls of the deceased and blessed in the grace of God ended.

The Fifth Heaven, the location of the Garden of Eden and where the tale of Adam and Eve began, as well as the location of the Trees of Life and Wisdom.

The Fifth Heaven, once home of the Angels who became Fallen. Since the end of the Great War, it had been devoted to research.

The Sixth Heaven, home of the Great Seraphs.

And finally, the Seventh Heaven, responsible for housing the Sacred Gear and God's Systems. Once it had been the personal residence of the biblical God, but since his passing it remained empty and most of the times unvisited. With one exception.

When the Messenger of God arrived at the Sixth, she had been greeted politely by her brothers and sisters, but there was something amiss.

A sort of tension in the air she could not pinpoint properly, hiding beneath the smiles and pleasantries.

She would need to ask what was on their minds later, but for the time being her mission took precedence.

And yet, Michael was nowhere to be found. Which meant…

"Uriel, is Michael in the Seventh again?'"

"Yes. He is in fact waiting for you, sister."

Was Michael notified of her arrival? Or did he know already when she entered the Gates of Heaven? In any case, this saved her the need to find time on his schedule to speak.

Thanking her brother and bidding him goodbye, Gabriel made way for the highest and most important level.

Had she stopped for a moment and looked at her brother once more, Gabriel would have noticed his smile disappear.

* * *

The Seventh Heaven, the most revered and forbidden place for all Angels.

This was the place where God had created the Sacred Gears and laid the foundations of the system that allowed their transmigration to different hosts trough the cycle of life and death, as well as enforcing the rule that said hosts needed to have human blood in them to be chosen. Even after his death, his creation continued working and will continue to do so without any of the Angels being able to change anything about it.

It had been also in here that God had bound the faith of human believers to Heaven as a whole, turning their prayers and conviction into the strength of His Angels. At the same time, this was the basis behind the ability to perform miracles in the Human World without needing his direct intervention.

And finally, God had made the Seventh Heaven the very place where his throne stood, from which he watched all the events of the World take place.

Since the times of Creation, only the Seraphs had been allowed into this level and usually they did because of the calling of their Father. Therefore, the one sitting on the Throne spent a lot of time in solitude, observing the World he helped in making.

Now, this level remained almost desolated, the Throne empty with no one daring to occupy it. Nevertheless, there was one who visited and spent some time within.

The Archangel Michael, who had been chosen by the system left by his Father as the one in charge of Heaven after the latter's passing.

He refused to sit upon His throne, but he still came to the Seventh Heaven to make sure everything was working as it should, and to fulfill the role left to him by his Father.

Listening to the prayers of the faithful, and patiently answering them in what he believed was the proper way to preserve the gift of freedom to Humanity. Hours, days, maybe even weeks could pass with the Archangel devoted to this responsibility, but he sought to make time for the other Angels as best as he could.

And that was how Gabriel found him.

 _ **-** **(Play Blood Omen 2 OST: Questions of Faith)-**_

A kind visage looking down to the Human World, listening to all the desires, complaints and confessions that the devoted made in the Church, on their journeys, or simply within the walls of their own households.

She waited for about ten minutes in silence, as he finished with the last of the prayers.

Once he was done, he turned to her. His arms extended to his sides, in a sign of welcome.

"My dear Gabriel, it is very good to see you after all these days. Will you let me embrace you?"

When she looked at his face, at his eyes, she allowed herself to forget about all the questions and doubts in her mind. As usual, she flowed easily with her emotions and answered with actions.

She went to her brother's arms and embraced him with all her might, enjoying the feeling of comfort and the warmness of his touch.

She felt secure, she felt safe.

For a brief moment she felt sure of what she had always believed, willing to trust the kind smile that was offered to her.

The show of affection finished, they both put some distance between each, and Gabriel took this as the sign to speak.

"It is good to see you again, dear brother. I apologize if I have interrupted you during your session with the faithful, but I had a great need to speak to you in person".

He shook his head in denial, the smile still on his face.

"It is never a bother to see my brothers and sisters in Heaven. And I did call for your presence in this very room. Now tell me what is on your mind, Gabriel?"

And with that, the peace of mind was over, and the anxiety in her heart returned. Nevertheless, she still felt the trust, the honesty in his voice that assured her that she could speak and seek the answers she so badly needed.

"I… I know you said to not go down there unless you gave your permission brother, so first I ask for your forgiveness. For I disobeyed your instructions and acted on my own account."

The smile lessened slightly, but the kind tone persisted.

"Oh? And what did you do down there, in the Human World? Where did you go? Who did you talk to, sister of mine?"

She started her own confession.

"I went to Bernhard Castle."

…

This time his smile disappeared, replace by a frown denoting concern.

"Gabriel, I told you to not go there unless we estimated it was necessary. That place is very dangerous, even for our kind, and especially dangerous for anyone going alone…did you try to meet him?"

"I spoke with him".

"!"

"I'm sorry, brother, I really am. You have told me many times before that he was to be left alone, to be dealt with by the Brotherhood and the Belmont Family. But I could not. I cannot anymore. Not after so much blood has been spilled, not after much more will be spilled in the name of revenge".

She was being honest with her feelings, telling Michael what drove her to disobey a direct command from him and risk her safety in a place ruled by Darkness.

"While driven by a good cause, your actions could have brought dire consequences. If you had lost your life in there, Heaven would have lost one of its pillars to stand against evil, and to maintain the unity between our brothers and sisters. You are our Heart, Gabriel, but that does not mean you can just follow your emotions."

Gabriel faltered and looked at her feet in guilt. Michael was talking about being responsible with their cause, and with their brethren. And just like Azazel before, he was admonishing her for being selfish with her choices.

But he was not finished, as he put his own hands on her own, a sad smile on his face.

"I love you, our brothers in the Sixth Heaven love you. Do you think we wouldn't be saddened, that we could forgive ourselves easily if you died in some dark corner of that treacherous place?"

She bit her lip, again looking at her own hands.

Hands that were being held with Love and Concern.

Hands that wanted to give Love, to protect Love.

Hands that held Light and destroyed Light and Darkness alike for the sake of Love.

Hands that stayed put while innocents were hunted and slaughtered by the Lords of Shadows.

Hands that stayed put while Father's Chosen fell into Darkness, while he killed his own son.

Hands stained in the blood of all those faithful and non-believers who had been killed because they stayed put during the rampage of revenge of the Dragon.

 _ **-(Play Lost Canvas OST: Mori no Daiseidou)-**_

 _And once more, she could see the accusing eyes of all those victims, who blamed her instead of the wrathful Dragon._

 _Their broken limbs still pointing their fingers at her, reaching at her with both desperation and spite._

 _Their open mouths moaning and screaming, yet no sound coming from them._

 _Their bodies littered all around him, all around her._

 _She could see the floor replaced by the lake of blood, in which she would sink again._

 _And in the brief moment she experienced all of this, she could still see her brother's sad smile regarding her as she sank in crimson._

She forced down the images, her eyes closed. Remembering where she was, who she was with, and what she had come for.

She quickly let go of Michael's hands and composed herself.

"Gabriel?"

"I still needed to go there, Michael. I needed to see with my own eyes what kind of monster had Gabriel Belmont turned into. I needed to speak with him, to reach out to him."

Michael shook his head sadly.

"Admirable effort, but pointless; he is too gone now, Gabriel. He chose to turn his back on his destiny and instead embrace the darkness on his soul, betraying his old comrades and declaring war on Humanity just to spite us. Whatever he told you from the walls of his castle, it was just a way to justify his choices."

Again, she was told the official version of the story: that God's Chosen obtained power and was consumed by the loss and grief and turned said power into the means to unleash his anger upon the innocent, betraying his old cause.

Normally she would have revealed the version she got from Dracul, but her brother stood on the idea that it would all be lies.

But was it really all lies?

She decided to take a page from Azazel.

 _ **-(Play Soul Reaver 2 OST: Sarafan Stronghold)-**_

"I didn't want to believe it was too late. I wanted to confront him as the Messenger of God and question him on the path he has taken and his intention on continuing on it. He has been building his army again, and he will reignite his crusade of terror with it once he feels ready".

Her brother frowned and replied to the information she just provided.

"We knew he had returned along his castle, but not that he was already on the process of building up his forces. How many numbers does he have?"

"A week ago I could see enough variety and numbers to sweep all resistance from three separate compounds of the Brotherhood of Light and still have reserves to penetrate into the center of the Hungarian Kingdom. As of now, he must have gathered enough dark beings to destroy four compounds before attempting going further."

Michael seemed to ponder on this, before looking at her and speaking in a serious voice.

"That is worrying. I will communicate with the current elders of the Brotherhood and warn them, so they can prepare to avoid the first clash and prepare a stronger force to counter those of Dracul."

Communicating the current movements of the Lord of Shadows was good because it could help avoiding the amount of casualties and destruction that took place when he began his rampage after the death of Trevor Belmont.

But The Lord of Shadows had faced the Brotherhood before, and dealt multiple heavy blows to it as well as other Holy Orders that tried facing him. Stalling him would not be enough.

"What about us brother?"

The usual pattern was that she asked Michael if they were going to support the human efforts in fending off and later defeating Dracul. What followed was-

"No. Humanity has proved it can fight and vanquish Dracul before, and I trust it will do so again. Our own forces will deal with any activity of the Devils and Fallen should they prove to be breaking the truce, but in the meantime we will not interfere".

Abstention. Because humans could fight and succeed against evil, they could be trusted in doing so more than once. But that was only the conclusion.

"Many towns, villages and people were lost before Simon Belmont did what armies of men could not. What if it takes a decade or more before another champion rises in the ranks of Humanity? We could end this if we go ourselves. We could avoid unnecessary deaths, brother!"

Michael remained unmoved.

"We cannot interfere every time Humanity is under the threat of the supernatural. If humans become reliant on our help, they will be too vulnerable should we ever be indisposed or our forces occupied somewhere else. This is the very reason Father created the Sacred Gear System, to allow Humanity to fight on its own feet."

Too vulnerable? Humans died like cattle in the time of the Lords of Shadow even before Zobek casted the Separation Spell. Humans died in thousands when Dracul unleashed his fury on the Hungarian Kingdom.

And they sat and did nothing but watch, because they feared an escalation of the Great War and because they believed in Humanity.

"People will die brother. More people than just the warriors or those in the Brotherhood compounds. People whose only blame is believing in us, in our Father, will die because Dracul wants revenge against Heavens blaming us for all his loses.

You said just minutes ago that he was too gone, and I saw him amassing an army and willing to use it against the innocent. Why can't we help? Why can't we help this time?"

Her brother was beginning his usual retort…

"Sending forces may induce an alliance between-

"There is no alliance is the making!"

But she cut him off.

"Gabriel Belmont lost his wife to Zobek and Lucifer because they wanted to use him to unite the God Mask, and he is attacking humans as his way to defy Heavens. He. Is. Alone. There will be no Devil or Fallen who would be welcomed in his castle."

"There is the possibility of them moving while we are busy dealing with The Dragon."

She countered again.

"They WILL move and gather support from humans if WE don't move first Michael! God's Chosen was a devoted follower with a strong character and he fell. What makes you think that anyone with a weaker heart and surrounded by fear would not succumb to temptation? We need to show them our support, to show them that they are loved by God and His Angels."

"…"

"…"

Her brother did not reply immediately. But when he did…

"I cannot risk more deaths from our side if I can help it Gabriel."

The first pieces of the puzzle started to fall in a way she had seen before.

"I know that Dracul is very strong brother. Alone, not even a Seraph would be able to stand against him. But together, we can do it! We can lead our brothers and sisters and defeat him within days, while the Brotherhood clears the remainders of his army. We can destroy him, for good!"

"…We can't destroy him, Gabriel. Even if we can storm his castle and destroy his armies, Dracul is too dangerous to face now. You must trust me on this decision".

Dangerous? Of course she knew. She had tried facing him alone for the sake of survival and in the hopes of getting him to listen after submission, only to get almost killed herself. All that time, the Lord of Shadows had been indulging her, fighting at her level.

But she knew this because she had experienced it. Even Azazel had been unaware of the overwhelming advantage the Lord of Shadow held over those wielding Holy Power and Light Magic.

And Dracul himself said the only Angels he had met were Kokabiel and herself, with her fallen brother only appearing after their fight.

And yet, her eldest brother here in heaven spoke of the dangers of facing Dracul, despite sending two of the Great Seraphs to fight against him. To be so sure of the futility of said course of action could only mean one thing.

And so the second piece fell in place.

And she felt something crack inside her.

And she felt something stir within her soul.

 ** _-(Play Alice Madness Returns OST: Infernal Train Extended)-_**

Her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly open in disbelief her.

"…You knew".

"What are you talking about?"

More firm and resolute, she repeated herself.

"You knew! You knew that he was still Father's Champion even after turning into a powerful and ruthless Vampire Lord, and that is why Holy Magic and weapons cannot affect him. That is why you never commanded any Angel, even one of us, to face Dracul personally. We cannot hurt him at all!"

She was met with silence, expecting Michael to make another excuse.

An honest answer was what she got.

"You are right. I was aware that he still retained his position as God's Chosen even after becoming the Lord of Shadows. And as such he is unaffected by Holy Power and anything related to it, which makes up most of the arsenal and spells at out disposals. Even with my authority as the one responsible for the workings of God's System, I am unable to change that.

And that is why I refused mobilizing any Angel to confront Gabriel Belmont until now, to avoid pointless deaths. We are better dealing with Devils, Fallen and any outsider pantheon that desires to prey upon our believers."

 _Our believers_ he said. Hadn't Gabriel Belmont been a devoted follower of their cause before becoming the sole Lord of Shadow? Michael said that he knew of his status and the protection it gave him against Heaven's power. Yet that opened another path for inquiry.

"Since when, Michael? You never told me, or any of us in the Sixth Heaven to my remembrance, that he retained the favor of our Father even after His death. Did you find out by the time of his falling into Darkness? After his confrontations with the Belmont Family?

Or perhaps… because of the prophecy that Raziel revealed?"

Her brother narrowed his eyes, but still seemed willing to answer.

"Gabriel, the revelation spoke about God's Chosen role in defeating the Lords of Shadow and uniting their power to restore balance-"

"- _but whosever defeats the Lords of Shadows will sit upon their Throne and rule as the Prince of Darkness", -_ she finished before him.

When Gabriel interrupted his brother by quoting the hidden part of the prophecy that Dracul had shared with her, she was hoping to garner a reaction.

Just like Azazel said when they spoke days ago, that information could have been a lie to justify the rage and violence the Lord of Shadow. But…

 _'I have done what you all expected of me, all the good and all the worse.'_

She remembered those words, spoken with contempt and finality. Could there be more than just a spiteful and deceitful Devil, trying to give Justice to his mad crusade?

Many things since the rise of the Lords of Shadows and until the defeat of their successor would make sense when one accepted the third option, and the truth behind those words.

And the prospect of this truth was too horrible to accept.

That is why, deep inside, she desired that her eldest brother refuted her, perhaps asked in surprise about that version.

Even if there was the possibility of a lie, a part of her hoped that somehow her brother succeeded in lying to her.

But once more, what she got was brutal honesty. The one with a stone face, betraying only the tiniest of emotions until now, had faltered for the smallest of moments.

Had it been anyone else, they would not have perceived the change on his face, on the way he so imperceptivity grimaced in response to her interruption.

But even if Gabriel the Archangel was considered to be naïve in understanding complex situations, she was very well attuned with reading emotions.

And as another piece of the puzzle fell in place, the twisted feeling in her soul grew.

"…So it was true"

He gave no reply this time.

Many emotions were playing in her mind at the moment.

Frustration at being so ignorant of the situation until now.

Guilt for playing part of this decision of not doing anything to avoid the fatidic results.

Sadness for the confirmation that Dracul had been in the right with spiting Heaven.

And a sense of clarity that was slowly burning, but would increase in potency.

"Why did we let this happen, Michael? Why let Father's Chosen become the new Lord of Shadows? What was the point of abandoning him to such a dark fate, releasing Wrath itself upon Humanity?"

The stoic Archangel that had succeeded God as the one responsible replied with stoicism.

"It was a necessary evil. No matter how you put it, we are weak now. Our numbers may be greater than the Fallen, but we still lost many of our brethren to their side or to the embrace of death during the Great War. And even if most of the original Satans are dead, so is Father.

Should the tensions between the Three Factions escalate to the breaking point, we are most likely to lost so many that the Angels will stop existing altogether. Worst of all, while I will put my faith in man's capacity for great things, he is more easily swayed to abandon his faith and freedom for the sake of the temptations of Sin."

Gabriel said nothing, letting him explain his reasons. But the more he spoke, the bigger the uncomfortable feeling became, just like the clarity of her mind.

"With the kingdoms of men bickering between each other, with the leaders of the Church being susceptible to fall into corruption when the sense of threat is far away and often hard to perceive, our reach grows weak, and the grasp of the Fallen and Devils strengthens.

There is no day I don't feel regret for letting that damned soul fall into such state, but the fact that he retains his position even now is proof enough of this: Gabriel Belmont was to become the common enemy that all Christians can see and never ignore, and the blade of judgment that would keep the influence of our former enemies at the minimum, eventually allowing us all to seek a true peace".

* * *

 **-(Play The Lost Canvas OST: Otomoza no Asmita [slow / extended])-**

Was this Michael's Truth?

To use a twisted prophecy, twisting it even more to mislead its hero so he never knew that he was fated to become the worst of villains?

To turn him into an Evil to keep Evil at bay and create a true opposite of their Father, so the faithful kept themselves together and willing?

She could not understand this plan.

No, she did. But she refused to give her approval to such an ominous scheme, no matter how sound it was for the interests of Heaven.

And more than that, there was something else that she could not let go.

"But why did he have to go through all that suffering? If we needed a dark hero, why couldn't I tell him of his Fate, and encourage him? Why did we never speak to him to give him hope, why couldn't he be allowed rest before he was needed to resume his duties?

Tell me Michael, why!?"

"…"

There was no comeback, no shifting in his expression or even a twitch. For all intents and purposes, the eldest of the Archangels had become unreadable.

But that was all she needed to confirm her dawning suspicions.

And so, the final piece fell into place.

And so the sense clarity gave way to the horror of realization.

For at that moment, Gabriel the Seraph remembered the last conversation between Gabriel Belmont and his wife after he had sent Lucifer into exile once again.

The hope of bringing back his wife had been the one thing that kept him going when all the revelations about the Brotherhood and the Lords of Shadow had shaken his faith and sense of duty. Had he known the truth of behind God's Mask, he would have never put all the effort and ruthlessness that he did, perhaps even given up before the end.

This man had been left hollow and abandoned after the last of his fights was finished, left unaware of his remaining family so he didn't have any reason to seek rest, to return to a human life.

The Brotherhood had made sure that his son was sent to deal with the man turned Vampire Lord, expecting the fulfillment of the last part of their prophecy, only to fail and unleash the wrath of said monster upon the lands.

But what if that had also been part of the plan?

If Gabriel Belmont had been fated to become the successor of the Lord of Shadows, he would have never followed trough as a mortal man if it meant never seeing his wife again, being denied entrance to Heaven and even the eventual killing of his own son.

 _'God's death does not change the fact that you deceived me, that you lot remained quiet long before Zobek's spell and even after I broke it. And you stayed silent once more when my son was sent to his death at my own hands.'_

But Dracul, the Prince of Darkness, The Dragon, was committed. Filled with rage and a powerful thirst for vengeance, he would focus his powers and his armies in terrorizing the Brotherhood of Light and by extension all of Christian believers. Having been manipulated directly by Zobek and Lucifer, Dracul would always oppose them and seek a chance to destroy them should any of them ever step close or even within his domains.

 _'I will always oppose Devils for their role in the murder of my wife, and the same applies to Zobek. I despise God and all of his Angels, but I will not allow anyone else to rule over humans. Only I have the right to destroy them.'_

An Evil inhabiting the Human World and who refused to share his Throne with anyone else; a perfect pawn turned into Queen, perhaps even a Black King in opposition to the White King represented by Heaven.

She felt the strength leave her legs, and she fell on her knees.

What had they done?

What had SHE done by taking part in this mad scheme of her brother?

Even if she had been ignorant, it had been her devotion and loyalty, her love for her family and their Father that drove her to listen and obey, never questioning the commands of Michael.

Since the times of their Father, and even now, Angels could no act against the very ideals of God and Heaven. While humans had the freedom to choose between righteousness and corruption, Angels were to remain pure and selfless in every action and desire they had. They could feel emotions, they could disagree with decisions; but the moment they fell prey to these temptations or raised their hands against the wishes of their Father, they fell.

This was why Father considered Humans to be greater than Angels, and one of the reasons why many abandoned Heaven. Humans could repent and find redemption for their actions; Angels never had a way back.

And Michael decided to remove the freedom of choice and the chances of redemption for Gabriel Belmont, by ensuring through inaction of Heavens and the actions of the Brotherhood that he became an Evil Overlord bent on revenge against all of Father's children.

Wasn't this precisely what Devils and Fallen did?

Wasn't this the reason God Himself descended to the Underworld to join His Angels and the champions of Humanity?

"Michael… how long will this continue?"-, she asked without looking anywhere but the floor -"how many more have to die until we the Angels of Heaven, guides and protectors of Humanity, are ready to do something?"

"…"

As another crack appeared in her soul, the twisted feeling returned, much stronger.

"How much blood will be spilled until that fateful?"

"…"

The silence continued. Another crack.

The feeling was burning with a terrible intensity; she could barely contain it within herself.

"Please say something to me brother. Tell me that the day will come when we will reveal the truth, when we will do our best to apologize to them… to him"

"…"

No answers, no excuses. Just the cold silence.

And so something finally broke within her.

And the fire exploded outside.

 _ **-(Play Soul Reaver OST: Kain Encounter)-**_

"ANSWER ME MICHAEL!... TELL ME THAT WE DIDN'T FIGHT ALL THIS TIME FOR NOTHING! TELL ME WE HAVENT BECOME THE VERY THING WE SOUGHT TO DESTROY, YOU HYPOCRITE!"

Ah so that's what it was.

That twisted feeling in her gut, gripping at her very soul. Fed from her own guilt, from the disillusion with how they had essentially abandoned Humanity to their own mistakes… no, to their own ambitions.

Rage.

Rage at herself for never questioning the orders of her brother and allowing things to reach this point.

Rage at the elders of the Brotherhood of Light for playing so gullibly with Michael's scheme instead of using the freedom their Father in Heavens gave all humans at the time of Creation.

And rage at Michael, her eldest brother and the one taking over the responsibilities of their Father. The very same Michael who didn't bat an eye even while he spoke of regrets, as God's children died and would continue to die for the sake of the Greater Good.

 _'A God of Love and Justice would make sure his children did not fall on the wrong path, or suffered without reason.'_

And so she screamed at him, calling out his nonsense and his madness while looking into his yes.

This time she finally got a reaction out of the stoic Archangel.

"You call my actions hypocrisy, Archangel Gabriel? Here in the Throne of God?! You may be one of the Great Seraphs and my sister, but do not forget your status in the chain of command. Do not disrespect my authority just because your feelings got the best of you".

Authority and respect because of where they are? Because of who he was?

Not anymore.

She rose from the floor, the rage in her fueling her limbs.

"I will call you a hypocrite as long as you pretend this farce is for the Greater Good, Michael! I am guilty of going along with it, of never questioning it. But you lost your conscience when you decided that Evil for the sake of fighting evil was the answer; look at all the innocent blood being spilled because you couldn't afford a giving grieving man a measure of peace!"

 _'God and his Angels watched as everything was taken from me, even my humanity.'_

In response, Michael flare his power, a white aura covering his form as he countered.

"You dare to speak to me of conscience?! Only when you have felt the full gravity of choice should you dare question my judgement. Your guilt is nothing compared to the amount of doubt and regret that I have born since our Father perished at the end of the Great War.

To know that the fate of the World, of both Humans and Angels, lies dependent on the very advisedness of my every deed! can you even begin to conceive what action you would take in my position?!"*

She decided to offer her reply in both words and actions.

When Azazel had healed her after the confrontation with Dracul, he had saved her life and closed the wounds inflicted on her body. However, the scars remained despite the efforts of his magic and her own tries.

When she had decided to come to Heaven in order to speak with Michael and find the truth, she had asked him to cast a spell on her to hide those scars so as to avoid tensions and any sort of excuse related to her state of health.

With a conscious effort the illusion was broken, allowing Michael to witness the consequences of her actions.

"I would choose integrity, Michael."

"!"

 _ **-(Play Legacy of Kain Memories - The ruined city of Dumahim)-**_

"I risked my own life to find the truth and perhaps stop this madness. And I came here hoping to be mistaken, hoping to find support and convince you to act for good. But you have decided that deceiving all of us, Angels and Humans, is the best course of action to ensure your ideal scenario plays perfectly.

I will ask no more. I will listen to this orders of yours no more. And I will not tell any of my brethren to come along, risking their lives and inciting disorder in Heaven.

But even if you will do nothing about the Lord of Shadows, I will."

Not saying any goodbyes, she turned around and went to the gates connecting the Sixth and Seventh Heaven.

Michael was not finished with her, however.

"Where are you going, Seraph Gabriel? I did not give you permission to interfere with the matter of Dracul."

His cold tone and aura were supposed to make her cower and apologize, but she could care less.

"I don't need your permission to do what I believe his right. I choose to oppose the result of our mistakes, my very life on the line".

"You're being irresponsible Gabriel! Have you forgotten what I said before? YOU are the Heart of Heaven, which means all Angels look up to you in respect and love. Any action you take will be consider an extension of my will and that of the Heaven itself. If you go down there again with those intentions, others will follow!"

"Then why don't you command them not to? You seem to know well how to twist the true and all of the Angels in Heaven will listen to anything you say without going against it", -she said with a cynic tone in her voice.

She continued to make her way to the gates, not wishing to waste more time and effort with someone so lost in his own position that he had forgotten the vey virtues they were supposed to stand for.

That is, until two more figures revealed themselves in front of her destination, blocking her exit.

A Seraph robbed in the color purple, tall and well-built, with his hair fixed into a ponytail.

Dumah, the Angel of Silence and of the Stillness of Death, and the one responsible for leading the souls of the deceased into the Third Heaven or casting them to the pits of the Underworld.

The other was a more familiar face. One she had greeted before entering into the Seventh Heaven.

Uriel.

"I was not asking you, Seraph Gabriel. Don't think I haven't felt the rage in your soul, shrouding your judgment and making you risk order here in Heaven. You haven't even realized it yet it seems, but if you keep this your wings will definitely stain in black"-, continued Michael from his position.

As she turned to regard him, more figures appeared. Seraphs like Zephon, Raziel and even her other older brother, Raphael, made their presence known.

It seemed they had been in the room for a while, since when she couldn't know. But how they did she knew.

Dumah's title was not only related to his duty with the souls of the dead. He had the particular ability of concealing others and himself in a particular area for a certain amount of time, hidden from most spells and devices. It was the perfect ability for spying a conversation without her ever being aware.

It also revealed one last truth to Gabriel, making her clench her fists in anger.

"You all knew…all this time you all knew the truth behind the prophecy, behind Gabriel Belmont's destiny. And you all agreed with all this tragedy happening."

No one answered to her accusation. They just stood in their positions, surrounding her.

And Michael spoke again.

"Your irresponsibility could cost more than you can imagine. Enough of this rebellious behavior Gabriel, this is the last time I will warn you. If you persist on acting based on your anger, you will enter a path of no return. And we will take action."

"Irresponsibility? Your hands are stained in the blood of the many believers that perished under your watch, Michael. My hands as well. You say feeling rage is wrong? How could I not feel it?!

We are not different than Devils by following your madness. Why did we exile the Fallen in the first place then? What is the point of proclaiming to care for Humanity if we are using it for our plans the same way our old enemies do?!"

Michael frowned and her brothers tensed in response.

"So you would challenge my current position in charge of Heavens?"

"I care not for the Throne, Michael. I care for being true to my feelings and for stopping a repeat of the rampage of the Lord of Shadows decades ago. If defying your commands and going alone is what it takes to do what my heart feels is right, then I will do so.

Make way brothers, I do not want trouble with any of you."

To her claim, they answered by summoning their Spears of Light, making her eyes narrow and her own posture change.

"If you will not listen to reason, then you will be put down by submission. I cannot allow a wicked tree to threaten the future of Angels and Humanity, Seraph."

She tried one last time.

"Brothers do not make me do this, I beg of you. Do not go along this plan. It is the very denial of the reason for our Father's death".

"…"

"Then I have no choice. I will not be imprisoned nor silenced in here for the sake of your ambitions Michael. I will fight."

She summoned two Swords of Light in her hands, readying for combat.

Michael gave the order.

And without anyone in the lower levels knowing, a terrible if brief fight took place in the Throne of Heaven between His children.

* * *

 _ **-(Play Soul Reaver OST: Ozar Midrashim/Raziel's Intro)-**_

It took 5 minutes to subdue the rebellious Gabriel, but they were very intense.

Even when not fully recovered, the former Messenger of God proved to be stubborn and skillful.

But they had succeeded.

The now bound Archangel glared at her eldest brother, who had succeeded their Father as the Ruler of Heaven.

He remained stoic as he had been since the truth had been revealed, even while speaking of her sentence.

"I cannot risk someone freeing you from the Second Heaven, and even though your transgressions and the harm you have inflicted upon your brothers may justify exile, I cannot risk you spilling your truths outside of this room.

Gabriel the Archangel, Great Seraph and Messenger of God, listen to me now. As the ruler of Heavens I refuse to spill your blood in the Throne of our Father or anywhere in our realm, but your rebellion and your disposition are a menace to the peace we all seek".

She saw him gesture to the others in the room, who proceeded to use their power to draw a magical circle around her. And then Dumah revealed a particular device, shaped as small sphere of silver.

She recognized it immediately and looked at Michael flabbergasted.

"Therefore, your sentence is akin to death. I banish you to the depths of the Shadow Plane, along with your truths and rage."

Confirming her fears, she struggled in desperation against her restraints.

Finding it futile, she screamed at her brother, quoting the man who rightfully believed to have been abandoned by Heaven.

"Michael, is this the reward for the devoted and the foolish?!"

He paid her no mind, finishing the ritual himself.

"May you find a quick end in oblivion, sister of mine…cast her in!"

And so they did.

...

The portal opened beneath her form, and she fell without resistance inside and felt the room and everyone disappear around her.

The fall was not long, but she felt it nevertheless.

She experienced how the world shifted in colors and how everything changed.

When her body touched ground, Gabriel found herself still bound and on her back.

Putting some effort, she managed to rise from the ground and looked around her.

There was an almost absolute darkness everywhere, with only some spots shining in a variety of lights that went from pale blue to pale green.

She could feel a malicious energy affecting her, just like the time on Dracul's Castle.

"Kuh!"

No, she was wrong. The demonic energy of the castle perturbed her performance in her magical arts, but this place seemed to be crushing her very being.

The longer she stayed, the worse it would be for her.

But she felt tired after the fight, and would need time to focus in order to break from her restraints.

"Grrrrr!"

"Hsssss"

Time that she may not have if the sounds in the midst of the darkness were any sign.

She summoned again her Spears of Light.

And she fought.

...

How long had she been here?

She didn't know.

Time was meaningless when there was no way to tell night from day, when there was only darkness all round her.

When had she broken her bindings?

How long had she been fighting creatures after creatures in this place?

How long had she run and flown, looking for an exit or an entrance that she could not pry open or even find in the first place?

When was the last time she had eaten or drunk something?

When had she fallen on the cold stone, no energy left to flight or even stand?

She didn't know

Time was meaningless when there was no way to tell night from day, when there was only darkness all round her.

When was the last time she had slept without being haunted by the faceless corpses in the pool of blood?

When was the last time she had slept without seeing her kind brothers turn into stone statues looking down as she fell into the abyss?

She didn't know.

Time was meaningless when there was no way to tell night from day, when there was only darkness all round her.

And so once more, Gabriel the Seraph felt her consciousness fade into the black that surrounded her, expecting more haunting visions.

Bur before fading away, she heard something.

"An unusual resting place for an Archangel of God. I was looking for the remains of a powerful weapon, but it seems I have stumbled upon something very interesting…What shall I do with you?"

* * *

 **A/N: As I said above, with this chapter the first arc of the story concludes. You may have noticed a particular part of the dialogue between Michael and Gabriel, and even the bits of her banishment... yes I will give credit to my source of inspiration, Soul Reaver from the Legacy of Kain Series.**

 **For the next arc, expect more Dracul, who will occupy most of the povs and gives us his own perspective of things.**

 **Have a Happy Easter and please review this chapter as well.**


	5. Chapter 4: The Last Sighting

**Lord of the Forsaken.**

 **-Chapter IV. The Last Sighting-**

* * *

 **\- (Play Lords of Shadows 2 OST: The Throne Room)-**

Such pitiful creatures human were.

According to the Gospel, freedom was given to them in order to make them stand above all other creations from the Lord, even the Angels on Heavens.

To be exposed to Sin, yet freely and willingly choosing Virtue.

To be able to err, yet capable of making amends.

To question, yet able to reach the right path by their own volition.

Freedom was both a trial and a blessing that Humanity was gifted by their Father Above, out of pure love.

And yet…

And yet, freedom had earned them nothing but suffering.

Short lives subjected to hardship and sickness.

Injustice spread amongst their kind, with the more powerful, richer or even the self-righteous crushing their fellow men and women with no regrets, only fearing the punishment that would come for their souls in the time of their deaths.

And of course, the dangers born from the Darkness. Monsters and demons alike preying upon the helpless humans, with but a handful of deluded fools taking on them in the hopes of ending the tidal wave of death.

In the end, freedom was worthless.

Humans suffered, fell to Sin, and were always preyed upon by the different denizens that made the supernatural world, even those reigning on the Heavens Above.

And after all this time, Humanity stubbornly turned its sight from this truth and insisted on putting some brave fight against the inevitable.

Fools the lot of them.

Now and before.

Just like he had been many years ago.

Just like the Founders that came before him.

And just like the fools knocking at his very doorstep at this very moment, seeking to break into the Throne Room.

 _"Put all of your energy into it, Brothers!"_

A loud bang came after the shout, signaling another strike from the battering ram.

The Lone Being took one last look at the golden chalice held in his right hand, finding it almost empty. Directing his sight at the crumbling door, he got up and took his last gulp of precious liquid life, before throwing the cup forward without care.

 _"Haaah!"_

Another shout followed by the next strike, making the door groan in futile protest at the punishment it was being subjected to.

Making his way to the center of the room, the Lord of the Castle had one last moment of musing before the invaders broke through.

'Do you see now Seraph? Your little brothers and sisters can never let go of suffering and can never be truly free from the machinations of the Powers Above and Bellow. Even after a century of no attacks, they still throw themselves blindly into their deaths'

The last strike comes and the doors are throw apart. Not too long after, the soldiers of the Brotherhood of Light start pouring inside the Throne Room, blades and shields at ready.

Kneeling for a moment to grasp the chalice he had discarded but a moment ago, the Lord takes a look at the so called Heroes, finding them lacking.

Nevertheless, he still gives them a polite welcome, which does nothing to hide his bloodlust.

"What a timely coincidence… I'm dying for a little drop of blood"

* * *

 **\- (Play Warhammer: Fortress Monastery, by Cloud of Judgement)-**

It is the year 1547.

Almost a century since Constantinople fell to the Turks, followed by many Christian dominions.

Five centuries since the first call to retake the Holy Lands, followed by many others that in the end could not ensure the return of Jerusalem to Christian hands.

Five centuries since the Lords of Shadow had fell upon the Christian Kingdoms on the East, the ones that had survived the fall of Byzantium and the conquest of both the Turks and the forces of the Devils.

And months ago since his Holiness had summoned all of the Christian Kings in order to vanquish the Dragon, once and for all.

In the past, not every call for a crusade had been met with the proper response from the faithful, be they noble or peasant. Some had even shamed themselves and aligned with the Turks, driven by the petty fights for power that govern the world of Man. But the last years of activity from the Dragon had been particularly brutal, to the point that even the Turks had stopped their incursions in order to save their forces from the slaughter.

Now, for the first time in centuries, all petty grievances had been put aside by the rulers of Christendom in order to answer the threat.

An army unlike any other seen before had been gathered in record time, from all corners of Christianity. Blessed by his Holiness, lead under the banner of the Brotherhood of Light and the Holy Orders, and united by a single purpose.

To free the World of Man from Evil.

Five Hundred Thousand men, noble and peasant alike, all marched into the lands taken by the Dragon, unimpeded by any lingering presence of the Turks as they entered deeper into evil's domain.

In these times when Christianity was besieged from all corners, by a lack of unity and by the enemies of the faithful, his Holiness had spoken about what they all needed to achieve to gain back the favor of the Lord.

If the Holy Land could not be retaken yet, then the looming threat of the Lord of Shadow, the Dragon, had to be removed.

Just like before, their warriors and kings had to take arms against the evil preying upon the hearts and the flesh of men and women. Only now, they had to be victorious, for good.

And in his heart, he knew they would.

After months of struggle, of many sacrifices, their swords had finally breached into the Castle, making their way into the paths leading to the Throne Room.

And when the foul creature came out of his lair, he would be ready to take it down.

And not long after he finished his thoughts, he spotted his target.

The Titan he was on struck at the regal looking abomination, missing its target but removing its footing. That was enough for an opening for him.

And so he flew after the falling Prince of Darkness, aiming for a killing blow at full speed.

His foe countered but he still gave ground, showing that his strength was not above that of God's Chosen.

And so, Roland de Roncesvalles, Second of his name, entered into the fight against the greatest Evil on Earth.

Readying his Holy Blade, Durandal, he made way to the Prince of Darkness.

"God is with me, Monster!"

His dreaded foe smirked in response, his crimson eyes shining under the moonlight before giving his own reply.

"That will be your ruin…"

* * *

 **\- (Lord of Shadows 2 OST: The Siege Titan)-**

Hundreds of Thousands of knights, magicians and men at arms. Siege Machines that could be counted in the hundreds, carrying soldiers and throwing boulders and fire upon the walls of the enemy fortress. At least a dozen of Titans, developed most likely to resemble the legendary constructs from the Agarthians.

Lead by the new champion of Humanity, christened as God's Chosen on Earth to vanquish the Prince of Darkness and all of his evil.

This was the strength of mankind united.

Capable of becoming a force to be reckoned even amongst the armies of the Supernatural.

Abandoning doubt and fear, making up for their individual weaknesses with numbers and knowledge, they could have taken on many challengers from the Biblical Factions, or even the outsider pantheons.

Even if they lost by the end of the fight, they would had made their defeat so costly anyone else would have had opened negotiations before reaching such an end.

Anyone except Dracul, that is.

For even as his forces had been slowly but surely pushed back, slayed and scattered, the Dark Lord had not given any sign for retreat.

And when the human army succeeded in penetrating into the castle, many would have expected a bloody but inevitable victory.

That is until Dracul himself came out of his castle, apparently tired of waiting for the invaders to invite themselves in.

Just like that the tide seemed to slowly but surely turn.

"Damn, he is tearing through them like they are made of glass"- commented one ruler of the Grigori, the one who had decided to bet on a possible deal with the rampaging Dracul centuries ago –"and he is currently fighting someone wielding both the Boosted Gear and Durandal, backed up by a freaking army!"

"Azazel… can _he_ really win against something like that?"- asked his second in command, and one of his closest friends and confidants amongst his brethren.

The ruler of Grigori did not give an answer right away, his focus only breaking temporarily to look at the third member of his little gathering, currently being attended by his follower.

"I cannot say for sure. At their prime, any of the Heavenly Duo was stronger than any of us, both in Heaven and Hell. But since Father turned them into Sacred Gears, none of the wielders of the Boosted Gear or the Divine Divider had been able to reach that level again. And since in a one on one fight is much better to weaken your opponent, I would say the White Dragon Emperor would have better chances"- before continuing he turned from their guest in order to look back at the fighting- "Still, he-"

When he looked back, Dracul had finished scaling the mechanical Titan and proceeded to… to…

'Did he just…throw up… on the Titan?'

"Azazel, the Titan is about to fall on top of one of the towers!"

"…"

"Azazel, the Titan fell"- continued his surprised second in command.

"…"

"…Azazel?"

"Shemhazai, aren't you glad we are not fighting that guy now?"

"Yes, we would have incurred on many loses on our side, perhaps to a point of no return"

Azazel nodded with his eyes closed before adding his own cents.

"And you don't want to be remembered as the guy who died after getting barfed on by Dracul"- he finished sagely.

…

"Yes indeed, my lord"- replied Shemhazai in a deadpan tone.

Before they could continue, a new sound caught their attention.

"hmmm…"

The ruler of Grigori smiled at the awakening third member of their party.

"Why hello once again, sister!"

* * *

 **\- (Lords of Shadows 2 OST: The Stronghold)-**

"Haah!"

The Holy Blade that was said to rival Excalibur clashed against the Freezing Azure Blade in an attempt to push back the dreaded foe, but to no avail.

 **"[BOOST] X 4!"**

Increasing his might by quadruple, Roland pressed on the offensive, but his momentum was broken by a swift yet powerful counter, which was followed by a blazing blow to his center.

"Gahh!"- screamed the Paladin as he was thrown back by the strike from Dracul, falling onto one knee as the pain and weariness started to take their toll.

'This cannot be all I'm capable of'

When he had first engaged in combat with the Prince of Darkness, Roland had been confident yet careful to not underestimate his opponent.

Building his charges from the Boosted Gear while pressing on his foe, pelting him with flaming arrows from the sky and striking at possible openings whenever possible. While the Dragon had been focused on taking down the Titan and every soldier on his way, the Paladin had sought to deplete his enemy's strength by constant harassment and powerful attacks, slowing down his advances.

Unfortunately he had ended up helping his foe at the last moment, and in the process ruined the offensive they had mounted on the castle walls once the colossus had fallen.

To have been played the fool by such wretched being and indirectly staining his hands with the blood of his fellow warriors, unforgivable!

When the debris had been pushed aside and his still alive foe revealed himself once more, Roland de Roncesvalles had vowed to atone for his mistake by giving his all to eliminate the Prince of Darkness.

Discarding his Flaming Swords and Bow, he had released the full power of Durandal and his mastery of the Boosted Gear. He was going to restrain himself no more.

With his renewed conviction and by using all of the blessings given unto him by the Lord, Roland de Roncesvalles was able to go farther than anyone else that had challenged the Prince of Darkness before him.

He had pushed him further than the illustrious Trevor Belmont, or the first man that had supposedly taken down Dracul, Simon Belmont.

He had given a much better fight than any of the Seraphs, Devils or Fallen that had encountered and fought Dracul, centuries or months before this invasion started.

Roland had no knowledge of any of these battles, but he had been the being who had pushed the Prince of Darkness the furthest when it came to use his powers.

Their swords and fists clashed many times. The earth cracked or was turned asunder under their feet. Wounds were exchanged every so often.

The Holy Sword was able to improve his fighting prowess in accordance to his needs, so he improved his defenses while using the boosts to increase his offensive power.

Of all the wielders of the Boosted Gear so far, Roland had been the only one able to continue fighting on his own while preparing new charges to take his foes by surprise, allowing him to use decisive moves after breaking through their defenses.

When all of this was combined with his mastery of Light Magic, it made of Roland of Roncesvalles the ultimate trump card against the denizens of Darkness.

Or so he had been lead to believe.

Because while it was true that he had succeeded in pushing the Prince of Darkness father than anyone before him, that still wasn't enough to overcome his foe's own might.

While Roland was on one knee, Dracul continued standing, giving him a neutral look that still managed to convey a simple fact.

 **\- (Play Battlefleet Gothic Armada OST: Batttle Track 1)-**

Weak.

He was weak.

The man chosen to be God's Chosen was being looked down by the Prince of Darkness, as if he was no different than a common squire from the Brotherhood.

It was a blow to his pride. A mockery to all the sweat and blood he had spilled in order to master his skills and blessings.

 ** _'As of now, YOU are weak Paladin'_**

And now of all times the accursed Dragon within his soul decided to but in.

 _'I'm God's Chosen, damned one. I have to win this fight to free the world from the tyranny of this abomination walking on earth'_

 ** _'I care not for your religious beliefs, Paladin…nevertheless I also refuse to be underestimated by an upstart like this. Albion and I stood above all but two, millennia before your God put us into this state of being. We must show this one the true power of the Red Dragon Emperor. However…'_**

 _'What is the downside, then?'-_ Roland asked his unwilling companion. While he held no love for a monster so driven by Pride as the Red Dragon Emperor, Roland understood the usefulness of its power for the sake of saving mankind from the forces of Darkness. He needed to become strong, and Y Ddraig Goch sought a strong vessel for the time his rival showed up. So as much as they held no love for one another, they worked together for their shared desire to become stronger.

 ** _'The secret move I talked about years ago. As I told you before, when you enter into that stage you will be able to surpass even the big shots in Heaven and Hell, as weakness will no longer be a problem. But your life-force will be quickly depleted, and you will no longer discriminate allies from foes'_**

In other words, become a rampaging beast in order to stop another one.

So many of his brethren had fallen to get into the castle, and many more had died making their way inside. By accepting this power, he was accepting the possibility of more deaths, now at his hands. There may not be anyone left on the field after the fight was over.

But even so, weren't their lives already forfeited the moment they decided to go into this one last Crusade? Weren't' they already fighting for Heaven and Earth at the cost of their lives, all to ensure the Prince of Darkness could not return ever again?

If he hesitated just because he may end up unwillingly killing more brave warriors, wouldn't that spit on their sacrifices?

Roland may be considered a sinner for willingly accepting to make his remaining brothers martyrs, by his own actions. But he would be an even bigger sinner if their deaths were made meaningless.

There was no room for anymore hesitation.

'No sacrifice too great, no price too high'

There was no reply, and he expected none. So he returned his focus back on his awaiting enemy, who still remained indifferent.

Giving a grim smile hidden behind his helmet, Roland spoke.

"Tonight will be your last, Prince of Darkness!"

His enemy rose an eyebrow, apparently amused with his boast.

"Hooh? Bold words from a man who's standing on his last legs after failing to defeat the terrible Dark Lord. Is it just conviction or do you actually have something hiding in your sleeve?"

Instead of a comeback, Roland began chanting in a loud voice.

 **"I'm who am about to Awaken…"**

* * *

 **\- (Play Lords of Shadow 2 OS: The Paladin of God)-**

Both the Boosted Gear and the Divine Divider worked on a simple but effective logic. One doubled one or multiple aspects every so often, and the other divided a particular strength of the target by half. One increased in power, while the other decreased that of the enemy.

But they also shared another mechanism in their design, regardless of their focus.

The Juggernaut Drive.

A trump card that could be accessed regardless of one's mastery of any of the two Longinus, at the price of sacrificing sanity and longevity for the sake of the strength of an unstoppable Berserker.

For as long as it was active, there was no real limit of times the wielder could decrease the enemy's strength, or double one's own. The White Dragon Emperor could effectively bring anyone down by levels, while the Red Dragon Emperor could challenge the strongest of foes.

For as long as there was life-force feeding the Juggernaut Drive, that is.

For such a price, Roland de Roncesvalles had become a rampaging Dragon Knight, cleaving through towers and walls like nothing, and unleashing energy waves from his blade that mixed both holy and draconic power.

Anything and anyone standing on his path was obliterated without hesitation, without stop.

In what remained of his sanity, Roland kept his attention on his foe as much as he could, ignoring anyone but the Prince of Darkness unless they got in the way. The Beast had the y single minded goal to annihilate the other Dragon, it would not accept any other outcome.

But the other Dragon did not stay idle.

For every increase in power the Beast gained, the Other One seemed to adjust.

Even as the Beast increased by many successive boosts in every single aspect of its being, the Other One retaliated with even more power.

Even as the Beast succeeded in wounding the Other One, it also managed to hurt the Beast.

As a Berserker, the Beast knew no fear or hesitation, just as it knew no strategy or technique.

But as the fight progressed, Y Ddraig Goch realized their mistake.

Trapped as he was within the Boosted Gear, he could not really take over his wielder, especially under the Juggernaut Drive. But he could see and listen, feel and understand.

And he realized their folly.

Neither he nor Albion could really return to the prime so long as they were bound to humans. Simply put, they didn't get to live long enough to fully master their powers, and even the strongest of Humans were still subjected to the very limitations of their nature.

A flame could burn brighter than the others for a fleeting moment, and just as easily be snuffed out.

Roland had been a prodigy amongst his wielders, but this had been a combination of his natural talents and commitment to training and battle. Discipline, conviction and experience tempered his gifts alongside the Boosted Gear, making him stand out above his predecessors.

And yet, by abandoning his mind and skill for the sake of raw power, the current Red Dragon Emperor had betted it all on the expectation that his rate of growth under the Juggernaut Drive could quickly overcome his foe's strength.

Roland was perhaps the strongest wielder of the Boosted Gear, and the Juggernaut Drive could easily turn up this strength by leagues.

But Dracul had decided to show that it made no difference. No, in fact, it showed the true difference in levels between the Paladin and the Lord of Shadows.

The Beast could not properly understand it, but Ddraig did it.

The Dragon in front of them, who felt both holy, demonic and alien at the same time, was perhaps as strong as both he and Albion had been at their prime.

When no longer retrained, the very field was being warped in ice and flames, the very aura of Dracul either twisting or killing those in his immediate reach.

Even if the blew up their foe with their constant increase in power, he simply regenerated and struck back, adding new wounds to the ones acquired before.

And no matter how relentless the Beast was, no matter how fearless it was, or how much pained it ignored.

The Boosted Gear could not make up for the depleting Life-force, or the wounds sustained even as the natural healing was increased. If anything, that aspect being forced to improve so quickly was actually detrimental to their current situation.

And so it finally happened.

With one last strike from his sword, followed by a powerful uppercut wreathed in flames, the Dragon Knight was thrown on his back once again.

The Juggernaut Drive was no more, somehow being cancelled miraculously with the last punch. Not that it mattered anyway, Roland was most likely a day away from passing away by losing so much of his life as payment.

And even before that, their foe was still standing, taking his time to approach them, and no longer wielding the Bloody Whip, the Azure Blade or the Flame Fists.

* * *

 **\- (Lords of Shadows 2 OST: The City in Flames)-**

Dracul, The Lord of Shadows and Prince of Darkness, was victorious once again.

While this last enemy had been the biggest challenger so far since his own encounter with the Forgotten One centuries ago, the Paladin could not kill him.

As the Beast, Roland de Roncesvalles has shown power he had not seen in a long time, but even that had not been enough to match him once he got serious in using all of his powers, even the accursed authority he had from _HIM._

Nowadays the only thing that truly got him to feel alive in anyway was immersing himself into battle, and only when there was an actual fight instead of just theatrics. But once again his enemy proved to be unable to defeat him or come close to put an end to him.

And now the Paladin laid bleeding, struggling to get on his knees as he took his time making his way to his fallen foe.

Just as he imagined, there was only one who could have ended him, and he has been dead for a long time. And there had been only one weapon capable of putting an end to this unlife, and he had destroyed it with his own hands in a fit of rage, centuries ago.

Perhaps the rulers from the other Pantheons could actually succeed, but as far as Dracul was concerned they had no business with each other, and he wasn't interested in looking for any challenge beyond the Western Lands.

And he was not letting his sworn enemies get a chance to move freely on the World of Men.

Finishing his walk, the Lord of Shadows stood but five steps away from the broken Paladin, who had returned to his senses somehow and regarded him with a look of disbelief all too familiar.

But as he felt a sudden buildup of Light Magic, Dracul knew his current foe would try one last desperate move.

And so Roland de Roncesvalles pulled out his own personal cross, of wood covered in silver and gold.

And he prayed.

He heard the Paladin pray with conviction filling his very soul, turning his desperation into faith as he called the name of prophets and holy men, of God and His Angels, all the while seeking the protections from Heavens Above.

It was a sight all too familiar, and all the same disgusting to him.

Praying only worked when it was convenient it worked. And apparently it was not convenient that he, Dracul, would find defeat and death at the hands of God's children.

It was both hilarious and pitiful, but Dracul did not really feel like laughing.

Nevertheless, he played the part of the mocking Dark Lord to the letter.

Standing in front of the Paladin, he grasped the man's face in a mockery of kindness, all the while.

 **\- (Play Lords of Shadows 2 OST: God's Chosen)-**

"I was like you once…" –he said to Roland, who turned his face away in rejection to his touch while continuing his chanting –"but your God showed me another path".

As the man continued to ignore his words, Dracul decided to make a point by grasping at the cross the man was pouring his all into, seeing the all too familiar moment when all hope drained from the holy warrior's face. Now he spoke without any pretense of empathy.

"That's why the power of your God cannot destroy me…because I AM HIS CHOSEN ONE!" -he said with a snarl, his eyes flashing in anger directed at it all.

As Dracul joined the payer, Roland's despair seemed to only grow in tandem, his resolute voice losing strength and fear all palpable in it

The cross shone with much more Light Magic that it had done when held only by Roland's hands, before unleashing a first powerful burst that threw away the knights closest to the both of them.

Their small duel continued…until the cross exploded in a blinding light, just as Dracul's voice had completely drowned out Roland's.

 _"… In anima nec Incorpore!"_

The light completely covered them both, and then the surrounding warriors.

Then the whole castle still standing, and kept going further.

And all around was completely bathed in a merciless purging Light.

* * *

He knew the Lord of Shadow was strong, but this…

This had been on a whole new level.

To completely and utterly dominate the strongest Red Dragon Emperor to date, one who also wielded the Holy Sword Durandal with mastery?

And then summoning enough holy magic to raze the entire landscape and the closest city, reducing all to but a handful or ruins.

He had been forced to step back even at the distance she had been, the blessed aura simply too strong to remain there.

Many considered him but a lazy character, who had no right to be so smart for somebody that would rather spend his days sleeping. But he always paid attention, always listened whenever he could.

His friends had asked for his opinion on the last happening around the so called Prince of Darkness, and he had agreed due to his own curiosity.

The one night he had overcome his laziness, the very night he had born witness to the end of the last war against Dracul, the Lord of Shadows.

They could not risk a fight with something like this.

Not if they wanted the Devils to have prosper in the future, or to have any future at all after the battles were over.

They needed to convince the other pillars to stop their idiocy of reigniting the Great War.

By any means necessary.

* * *

 **\- (Play Lords of Shadow 2 OST: Return to the Castle)-**

It's the year 1547.

For the first time in years, Christendom stood united against the forces of Darkness threatening its very shores, plaguing its lands.

Five Hundred Thousand Brave Warriors had marched into the domains of the Prince of Darkness and fought for months, commanded by God's Champion.

After the situation had seemed lost, the valiant and pious Roland the Roncesvalles, Second of his Name, made the greatest of sacrifices and summoned the Blessing of the Lord, smiting the dreaded Dracul into oblivion at the cost of his own life and after the sacrifice of his brave brethren.

Only his half-melted helmet remained as proof of his last heroic deed, whose tale would be added as the conclusion of the life of a great man and champion protector of Humanity for the centuries to come.

At least that would be the case for most of the people who would later write about the events.

But as the years passed, even more would come to believe this tale.

For Dracul was nowhere to be seen, his castle never rising and his servants either dead or scattered.

Years gave way to a century and in time many would be convinced that the Vampire Lord that had terrorized the European Kingdoms for almost half a millennia was gone for better or worse.

All but four characters.

A Fallen that kept himself open to any sort of surprise while chasing after a common enemy.

A Necromancer that would eventually bet his survival on discovering the whereabouts of his old acquaintance.

The Undead Vampire who had been sired by the Lord of Shadows himself.

And the lone Seraph who was hoping and waiting once again, all the while looking for her own path on life after being set free.

* * *

 **A/N: Why hello there my fellow readers and writers. Happy New Year to all of you and welcome to an update on Lord of the Forsaken. The one person that asked for a new chapter and even offered help got lucky because this is the first update of the year.**

 **This chapter did not go into detail with the fight, like in the duel between Gabriel and Gabriel on the second chapter. Instead you can consider this a sort of show off between a Champions of God on different sides of the spectrum, one who not evil but is committed to a fault and another who is very nihilistic and had pretty much accepted without joy his role.**

 **We are but a chapter away from the events of canon Lords of Shadow 2, which of course will experience changes in the development due to the crossover.**

 **I hope you find this update enjoyable and worry not, my other stories will get their updates eventually…yes that includes I can't believe it's not a Game =).**

 **Have a nice weekend and once again, Happy New Year!**


	6. Interlude: Black Feathers III

**Lord of the Forsaken.**

 **-** **Interlude: Black Feathers III** **-**

* * *

Once more, another knight has been felled.

Another fighter seeking _its_ demise, only to find his own.

Many had come before him, many more would come.

Wielding steel or magic, carrying one banner or another, they all had come. They all would come.

And they all had found, and would find death at _its_ hands.

For this was the only thing _it_ knew.

That and obeying commands.

The orders simply came, always from the same voice and the same face.

Yet _it_ could not recall the face or the voice after the commands were given.

It didn't bother _it_ anyway.

 _It_ received orders to kill, and it followed.

If _it_ were able to make a proper assessment of its situation…

It was living as if within a fever dream.

Aware enough to acknowledge, but never able to consider what happened after.

* * *

 **\- (Play Warhammer: The Inquisitor Theme)-**

The people from Wallachia and Hungary considered themselves very resilient.

For centuries they had endured many trials, and as people they continued to tell the tale.

Whether it was Crusades, petty wars amongst the Nobles, or changing rulers between Christian Lords and Turks.

Or even the bloody reign of the Lords of Shadow, followed by the even more gruesome rampage of the Dragon not long after they had been deposed.

These people had overcome many perils and would continue to do so.

Some driven by faith, believing that the hardships would be rewarded in the future, and that a better fate awaited them as Children of God in the Afterlife.

Some simply grew tired of lamenting their fates, of living in fear and misery. They had better things to do than await their deaths after all.

They all shared in common that unless the sword, the claws, or the fangs of the killer, came for them at the very moment, life was more than just lingering and awaiting the promised hour.

However, such strength of character had been put to test once more.

Killing sprees had been common in these lands and beyond from time to time, but usually the nature of the deaths was owed to bandits or armies.

Entire villages had been razed to the ground, in a very short amount of time. Yet in every single massacre, there had been survivors to tell their own version of the tragedy.

And apparently all of these stories shared the same killer.

"A winged demon, you say?"

This question came from a man wearing an armor of red and gold, a symbol that made him similar to the members of the famous Brotherhood of Light.

But the motifs of his clothes were certainly different.

In addition to the other two colors, white was also worn over the armor

Instead of the grim skull worn by the Brotherhood on the chest-plate of its high ranked members, this one bore a silver cross with pride, just like the other member of his following.

"Yes, my lord Inquisitor. The stories point to a description similar to that of a member of the Fallen Angels, and most likely one of their higher echelons"- replied the Brotherhood's warrior.

The Inquisition had been in charge of eradicating all signs of heresy from the lands governed by the Catholic Church and its adherents, particularly in the Kingdoms of Iberia. However, it was also one of the main organizations in charge of fighting the threat of the Supernatural, especially Devils and Fallen Angels. This latter responsibility put its leaders even above the Christian Kings and even the Holy Roman Emperor when a crisis regarding the enemies of mankind reached dreaded proportions.

Unfortunately for them, no crisis had ever reached the point where the sovereigns could not simply ignore the East and leave it to its fate, content in waiting until the problem disappeared on its own or was dealt by the rulers in there.

That is, until now.

After listening to the knight giving as much detail as he could regarding the appearance of the "winged demon", the highest representative of the Inquisition in Hungary had come to a conclusion.

"That description fits the reports we have received from our own Brothers and Sisters in the West. And you say the symbols worn by that unholy creature spoke of _him_?"

The other speaker nodded and continued his report.

"The demons accompanying the Fallen praised the name of the Dragon while butchering not just our Brothers, but also the common folk."

The grim visage of the Inquisitor became even more pronounced at this.

"So it was him after all. All of this time building his forces in secret, making us believe that he was but a memory and that those blasted Belmont had really done their job"- the man stooped for a moment to clench his teeth in anger, before adding -"We will make sure they understand the consequences of their lie…

And this act of defiance shall not go unanswered!"

* * *

"Go and raze the joint force closes to that village. I want you to make enough noise to call the attention of all forces abroad, including my old friend"- said the voice.

 _It_ merely listened, awaiting to be released to enact _its_ new commands.

"If you do happen to encounter the forces under the command of Dracul, I want you to kill all but the weakest. If you do find the Dracul himself… do not engage immeately. The time will come for your duel, and I need to make sure the right audience is present to see the end of it"- finished the voice with what _it_ could perhaps call a smirk.

Not that it matter, _it_ would follow the commands given to the letter.

* * *

 **\- (Play Dark Organ and Choir Music: Dark Ruins, by Robert Russell Composer)-**

"Your Holiness, why are we receiving help from Rome now of all times?"

As the highest authority over the Orthodox Church, the one Church that truly embodied God's teachings since the times of Constantine, he also carried the burden of the feud that had taken place since the so called Schism.

Few had been the times Rome and the Orthodox Church had worked together, or simply seen the same things and agreed upon them. This was especially true after the sack of Constantinople in the thirteenth century by the so called _Crusaders_ , and then the abandonment of the last city of the Byzantine Empire to its own fate by both Rome and most of the Christian ruler, in 1453.

And even before that…where had been Rome or any of the western kings, during the reign of the Lords of Shadow? Where have they all been when the Dragon unleashed its fury on the people of Wallachia during the latter part of the eleventh century?

The Orthodox Church had made its own contributions in the fight against the Turks and against the forces of Darkness, and paid the price in blood and souls.

Yet only now did the Catholics feel like taking the first step to form an alliance.

So the Pope of the true Church understood the question of the bishop at his side.

"We have all reason to doubt the willingness of Rome to help us, or merely to stand true to any sort of joined effort for war, my son. Yet, now of all time is when I believe this offer to be true" – he began to answer.

"Does it have to do with the killings taking place in the West as well?"- offered the Bishop, hoping that his superior filled in the blanks.

Releasing a sigh, the Easter Pope prepared for a full reply to his concerned companion.

"All of these heinous acts seem to be perpetrated by our old foe, Dracul, or at least someone acting on his name. Even worse, these crimes had claimed not just the lives of peasant and brave warriors under the service of Nobles and the Holy Orders…

They have also claimed the life of the selected successor for the crown of Holy Emperor"

A gasp was released by the bishop, but any further reaction was silenced by the Easter Pope, who continued speaking.

"We have all come to agreement that such dreaded news cannot be made public yet, until we are sure that a replacement has been chosen and that our forces have been gathered."

Surprised and awed the bishop asks for the other man to continue.

"Then we shall make of this poor boy what he has become…a martyr! A martyr representing all innocent and brave souls that have fallen to the reign of terror of Dracula, so far uncontested by the many who call themselves champion of Christendom.

This time, none shall hide beneath their thrones, pretending none of this matters to them! This time all of Christianity shall stand united against a foe that cares not for schisms or status, who would have dead even those chosen to rule with the blessing of the Lord!"

For the bishop, the man in front of him is not merely a powerful figure, but an inspiration.

Such conviction, such rage and determination.

To not let such evil remain unpunished.

Yet also able to move the pieces in the board to ensure they all have the chance they need to see the reign of Dracula finally over.

"And our friends of Rome, as well as our Brotherhood of Light, shall all be the frontline of the last Crusade to come. A true crusade for mankind to stand united without regrets!"

* * *

 **\- (Play Davy Jones Theme Orchestral Remix)-**

Today, once more, another knight has been felled.

Another fighter seeking _its_ demise, only to find his own.

Many had come before him, many more would come.

Wielding steel or magic, carrying one banner or another, they all had come. They all would come.

And they all had found, and would find death at _its_ hands.

For this was the only thing _it_ knew.

That and obeying commands.

The orders simply came, always from the same voice and the same face.

Yet _it_ could not recall the face or the voice after the commands were given.

It didn't bother _it_ anyway.

 _It_ received orders to kill, and it followed.

If it were able to make a proper assessment of its situation…

It was living as if within a fever dream.

Aware enough to acknowledge, but never able to consider what happened after.

Even now…

"You have really changed."

Another voice spoke, with some familiarity, but _it_ did not care.

 _It_ could not recall the voice, but _it_ knew its face somehow.

And _it_ knew what it meant for the fulfillment of the last commands given.

"It seems even the mighty and most devoted can really fall from grace… after all that was said and done, there are truly no righteous in this world"- the new voice continued.

 _It_ did not turn to address the speaker, merely continuing the preparation to leave as soon as possible.

"Yet it seems that we have been both cheated by a third party for its own machinations. You trespassed my lands, dared to slaughter those who are mine to rule over and kill… and you have the gall to bring that artifact, of all possible cursed relics."

As _it_ finished the teleportation spell, soon to return to the voice giving the commands, _it_ was able to listen to the other speaker one last time.

"The next time I will not let this mercy be. I shall crush your doll and rip off that thing before crushing it with my own hands. And I will eventually find you…

Old friend…"

* * *

 **\- (Play Dark Souls OST: Nameless Song)-**

Before it had been a shared interest. A way to bargain for his sister's life just as it had been a means to open some sort of diplomacy with the one monster capable of handling one of the strongest fighters of the Great War.

Now, this had become personal.

He was fighting with fire, and he knew it.

Even as the invasion by Human armies continued advancing on the lands governed by Dracul, and even as one or another upstart tried taking advantage to make a gain. There was a more pressure issue.

A possible rescue.

And if not, an execution as merciful as possible.

Whatever came after… who knew?

He had been allowed to tag along, even as the exact end goal of his companion was not clear.

Was it well earned confidence that there would be little he could do without risking his life for real?

Or perhaps…

For now they flew to the place where their target had last been spotted.

And even as concern drove him to continue their path towards the dreaded encounter, curiosity pushed him to take part on the event to come.

So he could finally become closer to understand the one leading the charge.

* * *

 **\- (Play Dark Souls III OST: Slave Knight Gael, Extended)-**

He was but a survivor, the leftover of a detachment sent in order to retake an important position from the denizens of darkness, so the righteous could move forward from here on with an additional advantage.

Every little gain matter when fighting against Dracula, the one who had crowned himself as the Prince of Darkness.

Dracula, who was fighting against a Fallen Angel wearing some terrifying mask.

But not just any Fallen One.

If their words were to be believed, one of the biggest tragedies to Christianity had taken place without their knowledge.

Wielding both holy and demonic powers, the Masked Fallen One summoned spears of light, and beams of orange to raze everything around it.

It moved faster than anyone or anything the soldier had ever seen, and its foe did the same.

As they fought, everything around them was bathed in blue and orange, sometimes in blue and crimson as Dracula retaliated against the Masked One.

Everytime the Fallen used holy power, Dracula ignored it and continued pressing the offensive. Eventually, it relied mostly on Shadow Magic when trying to hurt the Vampire Lord.

The Masked Fallen One proved its might by unleashing destruction and showing skill with its summoned weapons of the like he had never seen before.

But the enemy of Christianity United was much better, much stronger.

* * *

 _It_ was losing the battle.

While it had the knowledge and skill to use Shadow Magic to inflict damage on the Dragon, it was simply not the same as relying on its mastery of Holy Power.

Worse of all, the Dragon was immune to half of _its_ repertoire and had one much more diverse at his disposal.

It was sent to open a challenge for the Dragon, and yet _it_ had failed to defeat him.

A lingering memory of unknown origin showed another encounter between a white feathered Angel and the Dragon, in a place where the powers of the first had been diminished.

But even without such restraints, _its_ powers could not overcome the one called Dracul.

An overhead cut from the Azure Blade came, which was repelled by an aura fueled by Shadow Magic.

Black and red embers signaled that _its_ target had become mist in order to attack, forcing _it_ to fly back as fast as it could.

The embers and black dispersed and instinct warned _it_ that a new attack came from bellow.

 _It_ evaded the Bloody Whip, but barely, looking for greater height to limit the fighting prowess of the Dragon.

But _its_ foe seemed to be familiar with prolonged aerial combat, even as its wings were used only sparsely during their confrontation.

It rained attacks continuously in hopes of taking down its enemy, but even successful hits seemed to be annoyance at worst.

…

 _It_ was going to lose.

There was simply no contest here.

The only means to cause harm to the Dragon were still not mastered to the point where they could prove an actual challenge, while _its_ more devastating powers and skills lacked the means to harm the Dragon at all.

 _Today, once more, another knight had been felled._

There was something so familiar in this fight, just like the memory of the White Winged One had shown. As The Dragon reached _its_ position, _it_ knew the end was close.

 _Another fighter seeking its demise, only to find his own._

 _It_ tried blocking a new fiery punch, but instead the Dragon used a feint and fooled _it_ into opening a brief gap into its guard. It was enough, and as the whip tightened around _its_ neck and choked _it_ , there was again a sense of déjà vu.

 _Many had come before him, many more would come._

 _Wielding steel or magic, carrying one banner or another, they all had come. They all would come._

The chocking stopped, only to be followed by the strike _it_ had tried to avoid before, one powerful enough to send _it_ crashing into the ground, painfully.

 _It_ should not feel pain, or even be concerned with pain, but _its_ body protested in response to the last punishment _it_ had received.

 _And they all had found, and would find death at its hands._

 _Its_ body refused to operate properly, so it simply forced itself to stand, slowly as _it_ could in order to save _its_ remaining strength for one last try.

 _For this was the only thing it knew._

 _That and obeying commands._

There was no logic in these behavior, just fulfillment of a given purpose.

There was no need of a reason, or motivation of any sort. If the command needed to be fulfilled, the body would follow.

No matter how despicable or heinous, no matter how much it would torn apart the Masked One should the dream be broken.

 _The orders simply came, always from the same voice and the same face._

 _Yet it could not recall the face or the voice after the commands were given._

The Dragon was walking now, taking its time to approach as _it_ continued struggling to stand while saving the last shot. Should _its_ foe simply teleport and stab _it_ in the back, all of this preparation would be for nothing.

 _It didn't bother it anyway._

 _It received orders to kill, and it followed._

The slow march forward continued, the expression on the Dragon's face unchanged. Not that _it_ could distinguish indifference or anger with _its_ current mentality.

 _If it were able to make a proper assessment of its situation…_

 _It was living as if within a fever dream._

The attack was unleashed, and the hidden Shadow Spear was released with all the remaining energy _it_ had left, trying to pierce through the apparently defenseless Dracul.

 _Aware enough to acknowledge, but never able to consider what happened after._

A spear which was caught barehanded by an arm wreathed in a frozen and misty aura, while the remaining limb sought another target.

 _A fever dream with no discernible beginning or ending._

Before _it_ could do anything in spite of having no energy left to spare, the hand grasped at _its_ masked face, with a solid grip that would let go of its prey.

But for the first time, there was something else besides the void and acknowledgement.

* * *

 **\- (Fate Apocrypha OST: Ambition Extended)-**

The lone soldier witnessed the impossible, as the Dragon himself prayed.

It was not condemning the Heavens Above, or the Lord and all of Creation.

Rather, he called forth holy names and authority even above that of the Seraphs, as he continued to hold the squirming and battered Masked Fallen One on his right hand.

And then came the screams.

Feminine screams of pain and sorrow, of rage and despair, all coming from the Masked Fallen One as the Dragon continued his prayer uninterrupted.

Some form of foul energies came from the mask at it tried to refuse whatever spell the Dragon was casting, as the Masked One continue writhing and howling.

The Dragon kept on, his face completely devoid of any show of sympathy, joy or anger.

Until the prayer finally came to an end.

And so did the screaming.

And as the horrifying visage came loose, a beautiful yet marred face came into view.

The triumphant Dragon paid no mind to his defeated foe, who simply fell to the cold ground.

His attention was onto the mask held on his right hand, staring at it and ignoring everything and everyone else around him.

This time his face was filled with anger, his eyes blazing in crimson as he tightened his grip and let out a terrible roar

 **"GrrrRRRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"**

With a series of cracks and a show of lights, the Mask crumbled into dust, which was burnt a second time by the enraged Prince of Darkness.

And just like that, the monster was back to his impassive visage, the object of his anger gone and his foe laying on the floor, breathing but out of it.

The soldier could not move, he dared not to. Even if he knew his survival was no longer on anyone's hands but the Dragon's.

* * *

 **\- (Play Otomoza no Asmita, [slow/ extended])-**

Once more, another knight had been felled.

Another fighter seeking _her_ demise, only to find his own.

Many had come before him.

Wielding steel or magic, carrying one banner or another, they all had come.

And they all had found death at _her_ hands.

For this was the only thing _she_ had known.

That and obeying commands.

The orders simply came, always from the same voice and the same face.

Yet _she_ could not recall the face or the voice after the commands were given.

It hadn't bother _her_ anyway.

 _She_ received orders to kill, and _she_ followed.

If _she_ were able to make a proper assessment of its situation…

It was akin to living in a nightmare, unable to do anything but watch as she committed all those murders.

Under the command of a face she had seen but a few times, both on Heaven and Earth.

And now, as she laid awake from the terrible nightmare to face the reality of her actions, once again… she screamed.

Not out of the pain of her wounds, just beginning to heal due to the care of the only brethren she still trusted.

Not because of the betrayal by her brethren in Heaven, who knows how long ago.

Not even due to the fact that she had been controlled by the Devil Mask and forced to act against her own volition and beliefs.

She screamed because of all the souls she had sent to the Other Side before their time, and how it all came full circle.

That she had not been able to resist, that by her own hands she had slaughtered the ones she was supposed to protect.

In despair and rage, wings completely covered in ebony, Gabriel the Fallen Angel screamed.

At her own lack of power and resilience.

At her brothers for sending her to the hands of her tormentor, even if unknowingly.

At that very tormentor, for twisting her in order to commit senseless slaughter for the sake of creating a new terrible war.

And at Gabriel Belmont, for releasing her and making her face the new world she had unwillingly helped into creating.

* * *

 **A/N: There goes the first Interlude, and the fate of our dear Gabriel-chan is finally unraveled. A bit of background to the war where the Brotherhood "killed" Dracula for good, showing some of the issues between the churches and even the Belmont Clan that would be coming back in the modern timeline of Lords of Shadow. They would be important for the arcs related to DxD, especially when we go and either reference or deal with the whole Excalibur situation.**


End file.
